RAWALPINDI, March 6: The government has decided to seek Interpol’s help in tracing 436 people ‘wanted’ by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). They are believed to have fled abroad.

Surprisingly, the list of proclaimed offenders has not been updated since it contains names of people whose cases have been settled and there is least one person on the list who is already dead.

The list still contains the name of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and also Asif Ali Zardari although the NAB has started withdrawing cases against him under the National Reconciliation Ordinance.

It is learnt that the NAB launched the manhunt because it “wanted early conclusion of their cases”.

Prominent among the accused are an ex-MPA of Punjab, a lietenant-general (a former chairman of Wapda), a former station commander of the Hyderabad cantonment board, a chief engineer, a number of bankers, a former deputy commissioner, people involved in the cooperatives’ scam, businessmen and officials of public and private corporations, including some customs inspectors, food contractors, a former adviser to the chief minister of Balochistan and income tax officers.

People wanted by the NWFP chapter of the NAB include those whose names had already been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL).

In a letter dated February 25, 2008, written to the secretary of the interior ministry and forwarded to the Federal Investigation Agency, the NAB requested the Provincial Police Officers

(PPOs) be directed to take effective measures to apprehend the wanted people. It may be mentioned that such requests have not yielded results in the past.

The letter said that a progress report “may be sent to relevant authorities”.

It pointed out that if police concluded that the people on the wanted list had absconded, the NAB might be informed so that Interpol’s help could be sought for issuing ‘Red Notices’.

Of the 436 people declared proclaimed offenders, 161 belong to Sindh, 177 to Punjab, 62 to Balochistan and 36 to the NWFP.