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Pakistan's Ayaz Sadiq criticises NAB performance

National Assembly Speaker alleges the National Accountability Bureau was closing cases worth billions of rupees under the so-called plea-bargain while filing "frivolous" cases against others.

Islamabad - National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has criticised the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and cautioned that a reference might be filed against it too.
Speaking at a reception in Lahore last evening, he alleged that on the one hand, the NAB was closing cases worth billions of rupees under the so-called plea-bargain, but on the other it was filing "frivolous" cases against others.
The speaker said although the NAB was set up to carry out accountability, it now "needs another accountability bureau to serve as a check on it".
Ayaz Sadiq's outburst followed a similar reaction, albeit softer in tone, by Information Minister Pervez Rasheed after NAB informed the Supreme Court that it was pursuing 150 mega scams involving a colossal amount of Rs428 billion. The list implicated big guns like Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, former premiers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Pervez Ashraf, former caretaker prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and ex-president Asif Ali Zardari.
There is common belief that Sharif's hand-picked NAB chief Qamar Zaman Chaudhry has been prompted by the security establishment to act on cases kept dormant for years.
Sadiq said formation of a National Assembly committee for evaluation of the NAB's performance cannot be ruled out and there was a likelihood that the house itself could take up the matter at some stage.
At the same time, the Speaker warned that no one should remain under any illusion about the powers of parliament.
In reply to a question about payment of salary to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf parliamentarians for the period when they boycotted National Assembly proceedings, he said the PTI colleagues were paid under the same logic that allowed payment of salary to officials under suspension. - news@khaleejtimes.com

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