ISLAMABAD: A spokesman for the National Accountability Bureau on Thursday dismissed as false an attempt by a group of “blackmailers” aimed at maligning the reputation of the NAB and its chairman.

The clarification by the anti-graft watchdog was issued after the leak of some audio and video clips of chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal’s alleged conversation with a lady.

The news of the controversial clips of the chairman in which he is shown talking frankly to the woman on different occasions went viral on social media, besides being reported by a private news TV channel.

When contacted, the spokesman said that a meeting was held at the NAB’s headquarters on the matter with Justice Iqbal in the chair.

It was decided that a clarification should be issued by NAB denying all such news regarding the chairman’s relations with the lady.

The spokesman termed the reports as “baseless, concocted, false, against the facts and a part of the propaganda by a blackmailer group”.

He said despite all pressures, NAB had not only arrested two members of the gang but also prepared a reference against them. He said a total of 42 FIRs had already been registered against the gang in different areas of the country for blackmailing, kidnap for ransom, cheating people at large and depriving people of millions of rupees by becoming fake NAB officials.

“This current news is also a way of blackmailing to escape from NAB reference,” he added.

The spokesman said the ringleader, Farooq, was presently in Kot Lakhpat jail.

He said the TV channel which first ran the news had not only denied it and termed it against the facts but also tendered an apology to the NAB chairman.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2019