ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan said on Saturday that his party would resist any move to curtail the powers of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Mr Khan also announced the establishment of a committee, headed by him, to review the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission amendments.

Addressing a press conference, he said that PTI believed in having an independent body for accountability. “Both the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister have been threatening NAB, which is condemnable. If NAB is doing a good job, it should be appreciated by the government,” he said.

He stressed the need to make NAB a completely independent and self-regulated body to ensure transparency in the accountability process.

“It is not fair that the federal government has been using the amendments in KP Ehtesab Commission as an excuse to weaken the NAB. We will not tolerate it,” he said.

PTI chief announces formation of committee to re-examine KP Ehtesab Commission law

“I commit that the KP Ehtesab Commission will remain independent and will have all the powers to arrest any corrupt individuals in KP. For the last 20 years, I have been struggling for independent accountability and I will never compromise on that,” he said.

In reply to a question, Mr Khan rejected the impression that former KP Ehtesab Commission chief retired General Hamid Khan was facing any trouble from the provincial government and claimed that he did not mention any grievances in his resignation letter.

“Moreover, I have never given any statement against him when our sitting minister was arrested,” he said.

Mr Khan said that if there was any impression that the process of accountability has been affected in KP, it will be reviewed with the help of well-reputed advocates and judges.

“I will personally head a committee to review the amendments and see if they really affect the process of accountability. This step has been taken to counter the narrative that we are trying to weaken the KP Ehtesab Commission,” he said.

Mr Khan said that he was against the appointment of Qamar Zaman Chaudhry as NAB chairman, who was appointed after consultations between the PML-N and leader of opposition Khursheed Shah.

“Both PML-N and PPP have cases in NAB, leading to a conflict of interest,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2016