ISLAMABAD: Without caring for criticism from a number of political leaders alleging victimisation at the hands of investigating agencies, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to formally start investigation into corruption charges against several former bureaucrats and politicians, including three former PPP ministers.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the bureau’s executive board presided over by NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry here on Wednesday.

According to an official announcement, the bureau also decided to initiate the process of “complaint verification” in four other cases against political leaders and former bureaucrats, besides re-authorising inquiry pending against some retired officers of the Pakistan Air Force who had served at different positions in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Hours after NAB’s announcement, TV channels ran statement of PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari reportedly issued from Dubai, in which he stated that NAB had created a new chapter in the history by its one-party accountability.

Mr Zardari was so annoyed by the move that he even advised NAB to close down its offices and shift its staff to the PPP’s Secretariat.

He said it seemed that NAB was only interested in carrying out accountability of the PPP because all others were out of its reach. He warned that such actions would lead to dangerous consequences and history would remember it.

Mr Zardari’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar, however, expressed his ignorance about any such official statement made by Mr Zardari, but said that the party co-chairman had expressed similar views on a number of occasions in the past.

NAB authorised inquiries against former federal minister for communications Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan and his wife ex-MNA Asma Arbab, former Sindh education minister Pir Mazharul Haq, former Balochistan minister for excise and taxation Mohammad Amin Umrani, former chairman of the Quetta Development Authority (QDA) Mohammad Ismail Gujjar and former chairman of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Centre (PARC) Dr Iftikhar Ahmed.

Dr Alamgir and his wife are accused of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income. Mazharul Haq and some others are facing charges of making illegal appointment of 13,000 teachers in Sindh education department, causing a loss of Rs4-6 billion to the national exchequer.

Amin Umrani, who was excise and taxation minister in the cabinet of then Balochistan chief minister Aslam Raisani, is also accused of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

Former QDA chairman Ismail Gujjar is facing charges of illegally transferring the government land.

Former PARC chairman Dr Iftikhar Ahmed and some other officials are accused of embezzling funds by misusing authority.

NAB decided to carry out complaint verification in four different cases.

First complaint is against adviser to the Sindh chief minister on Zakat and Ushr Dost Mohammad for his alleged involvement in corrupt practices and accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income. The second complaint is against PPP MPA from Naushero Feroze Dr Abdul Sattar Rajper who is facing the same charges.

The other two complaints are against some officers and officials of the Punjab University and the Ministry of Food Security and Research. The Punjab University officials are accused of surrendering the university land without any lawful authority. The food ministry officials were facing corruption charges.

The opposition parties, particularly PPP, have been making hue and cry for a couple of months over the arrest of politicians by NAB on corruption charges.

The harshest reaction came from PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari last month following the arrest of former PPP Punjab president Qasim Zia and former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain.

The former president accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of “repeating the politics of the 1990s” and said the “politics of revenge” should be stopped immediately. There could be “disastrous consequences”, he warned.

He also accused the Federal Investigation Agency and NAB of harassing bureaucrats in Sindh.

Later, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khurshid Ahmed Shah urged the prime minister to hold a meeting with the PPP leadership to personally explain his position over alleged victimisation of the party at the hands of NAB.

When contacted to seek PPP’s response to NAB’s Wednesday decision, its spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the party might respond to it in a day or two.

Meanwhile, the NAB executive board also decided to re-authorise an inquiry against CAA’s former director general retired air commodore Mohammad Junaid Ameen, former deputy director general retied air vice marshal Sajid Habib and two former directors (technical) retired air commodore Javed Khan and retired air commodore Khalid Alauddin Khan and others.

They are accused of making irregular procurement without preparation and approval of PC-I and PC-II and awarding the contract through repeat order without tendering, causing a loss of Rs2.6bn to the national exchequer.

NAB authorised investigations against Pepco’s former managing director Tahir Cheema and former CEO of Gepco Ibrahim Majoka for allegedly making illegal appointment of 437 employees in violation of rules.

The bureau also decided to hold investigations against some officials of the Sindh Public Service Commission for allegedly misusing their authority and making illegal appointment of gazetted officers.

NAB approved voluntary return applications of some private contractors of Rs17.371 million, but rejected similar applications of officials of the National Highway Authority, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2015

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