ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday approved inquiries and investigations against some top politicians and bureaucrats, including former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, incumbent Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khan, former chairman of the National Highway Authority (NHA) Shahid Ashraf Tarar and former chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Siddiqul Farooq.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the NAB Executive Board, presided over by bureau chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal.

According to a NAB spokesman, the meeting authorised 13 inquiries against various personalities, including two against Ghulam Rabbani Khar, the former MNA; Hina Rabbani Khar, the former foreign minister; two inquiries against Shahid Ashraf Tarar, former secretary of communications and chairman of NHA and others; two separate inquiries against Siddiqul Farooq, the former chairman of ETPB; Barrister Abid Waheed Shaikh, the former managing director of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) and others; two separate inquiries against the former chairman of ETPB, Dr Muhammad Altatmash, and others; inquiries against Cantonment Board Karachi’s CEO; officers of Tourism Corporation, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and others.

Chaudhrys of Gujrat, Hina Rabbani Khar, Siddiqul Farooq among those facing NAB action

The EBM also authorised seven investigations against various personalities, including three against former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, former chief minister of Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and others; owners of TM Sugar Mills, Karachi, and others; management of Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Officers’ Housing Society and others; Noor Muhammad Leghari, the former secretary of special education; Muhammad Ali Khaskheli, the principal secretary of special education, and others; and officers of the Balochistan Development Authority.

The meeting rejected the request of former secretary of the water and power ministry Shahid Rafi to transfer his corruption reference to Islamabad from Quetta.

The EBM also authorised filing of three corruption references against Kamran Lashari, former chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA); Ghulam Sarwar Sindhu, former director of Urban Planning, CDA; Munir Jilani, former director of land survey division, CDA; Mohammad Hasnain Gill, managing director of Diplomatic Shuttle and Transport Service; retired Brig Nusratullah, former member of planning, CDA, and others.

They have been accused of abuse of authority and awarding a contract of Diplomatic Shuttle and Transport Service illegally, which inflicted a loss of Rs408.32 million on the national exchequer.

The meeting approved filing of a reference against Mr Aurangzeb, the former secretary of Local Govern­ment Department, Khyber Pakhtun­khwa; and Mr Asghar Khan, the former deputy project director of Ideal Hydrotech Systems, Pakistan Private Limited.

They have been accused of misappropriating funds allocated for a water project — Clean Drinking Water for All. The fund misappropriation resulted in a loss of Rs195.043m to the national exchequer.

NAB also authorised filing of a corruption reference against Mr Ashiq Ali Lakhan, the former executive engineer, Hala Division, Irrigation Department, and others for alleged abuse of authority and misappropriating the government funds, resulting in a loss of Rs30.9846m to the national exchequer.

The meeting approved closure of inquiries against officers/officials of the DHA, AKD real estate, and others; Muhammad Sharif Mugheri, executive engineer, Irrigation Depart­ment, Jaccobabad, and others owing to absence of evidence as per law.

The EBM authorised closing of investigations against directors and others of T and N Pakistan Private Limited, Faisalabad, owing to absence of concrete evidence.

Speaking on the occasion, NAB chairman said that corruption was the root cause of all ills being confronted by the country.

“NAB is pursuing the policy of zero tolerance and its priority is to take all corruption cases to their logical conclusions,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2019