PESHAWAR: National Accountability Bureau chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal on Thursday said he would personally examine the complaints of wrongdoings against secretaries, additional secretaries and retired bureaucrats in future and if the need arose, questionnaires would be given to them for clarifying their positions.

Denying that the bureaucracy has stopped working due to the fears of the NAB action, retired Justice Javed said he had examined thousands of cases pending with the bureau and only few of them were against the bureaucracy.

Addressing top government officers here at the Civil Secretariat during a daylong visit to the provincial capital, he asked bureaucrats to perform duty in accordance with law and Constitution.

Asks bureaucracy not to follow illegal orders

He said bureaucrats should avoid performing any illegal act under political pressure.

Appreciating the NAB’s performance, the chairman said the bureau had so far recovered Rs303 billion from corrupt people and deposited it to the exchequer.

He handed over a cheque of Rs86.5 million to provincial additional chief secretary Dr Shehzad Bangash on account of the recovery from accused in corruption cases of the province under the plea bargain agreements.

Retired Justice Javed said the people, who didn’t have any car 28 years ago, currently owned properties and plazas in Dubai and other countries.

He wondered if it was a crime to ask such people the source of that income.

The NAB chairman also asked whether it was a crime to ask the relevant people about the use of $95 billion foreign loan.

He said if a government contract of a mega project would be given to a single bidder in violation of rules, then the NAB would question it.

Retired Justice Javed said effective steps had been taken by NAB for stoppage of any corrupt practices in developmental projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said asked bureaucrats to think in larger national interest before taking any illegal step.

The NAB chairman said the government officials should not be afraid of adverse action from their superiors in case of not following their illegal orders as the superior courts and NAB looked after their interests.

He wondered why the NAB would summon bureaucrats if they worked in accordance with the law and relevant rules and regulations.

He claimed that the NAB mechanisms, including investigation’s, had shown improvement since he had assumed the office 17 months ago.

Earlier, the NAB chairman visited the bureau’s regional headquarters and attended a briefing by regional director general Mujahid Akbar Baloch.

The chairman said the NAB was following the policy of ‘accountability for all’ and would carry it on without fear or favour.

He said he would ensure that no injustice was meted out to any individual.

The NAB chairman said in the past, those who could not be questioned about their wealth and actions had been facing the process of accountability.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2019