KARACHI: The tense relations between the Sindh government and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) strained further on Tuesday when the provincial authorities called it negligence of the federal institution that allowed the former Sindh Building Control Authority chief facing multi-million corruption charges to escape from the country.

There was no word from NAB in response to the harsh Sindh government viewpoint, but sources said high-ups in the bureau met after the Sindh government statement hit the headlines in the afternoon and decided to come up with a strategy and a ‘detailed reply’ later.

It all began when CM House issued a “clarification” for the news that had appeared in a section of press alleging the Sindh government had facilitated the escape of SBCA ex-chief Manzoor Qadir, aka Manzoor Kaka.

“The spokesman for CM House strongly denies such reports,” read a brief statement issued by CM House. It added that the news that appeared in the section of press regarding the escape of Manzoor Kaka was baseless and untrue.

The whereabouts of the former SBCA chief, however, remains a mystery.

In June, the Pakistan Rangers carried out a raid on the SBCA in his absence over illegal construction and China-cutting — illegal allocation of state owned land — in the metropolis. The law-enforcers also took the same initiative against alleged misappropriation in the Lines Area Development Project (LADP).

The paramilitary force action attracted strong reaction from Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah who blamed the Pakistan Rangers for ‘acting beyond their authority’ in Karachi and asked its chief to ‘limit’ the movement of his men in line with the defined rules.

After clarifying media reports about Manzoor Kaka’s escape, the CM House spokesman explained the position of the provincial government that indirectly questioned NAB’s performance while insisting that it was the job of the federal institution to ensure Manzoor Kaka’s stay in the country.

“Mr Manzoor Qadir was not wanted by the Sindh government in any case,” said the CM House spokesman.

“He was wanted by NAB in different cases. While he was here, he used to visit the NAB DG almost every week. He was also interviewed by officials there. He was asked to keep NAB informed about his movement even within the country.”

The Sindh government, he added, had no authority over border control as that particular area fell under the federal government’s regulation.

“Mr Manzoor Qadir was bound by NAB to keep the federal institution informed about his movement. Hence, NAB was supposed to stop him when he was fleeing the country,” added the CM House spokesman.

NAB, however, preferred to stay silent over the Sindh government viewpoint. An official claimed that the former SBCA chief was never summoned by the bureau at its office and he was under no restriction from the federal body.

“NAB is assessing the Sindh government claims. The body is meant to investigate cases of corruption and retrieve national wealth from those who cause losses to the exchequer. We don’t want to involve ourselves in a blame game that distracts us from our primary job,” said the official.

Published in Dawn September 23rd, 2015

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