ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has criticised the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for adopting “double standards” in its investigation against politicians.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, PPP’s information secretary Dr Nafisa Shah said that while former president Asif Ali Zardari’s sister was being dragged in courts, NAB chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal had decided to send questionnaires to the wife and daughters of Shahbaz Sharif.

Read: NAB chairman orders cancellation of summons issued to Shahbaz's wife, daughters

NAB had summoned Mr Sharif’s wife and daughters for investigation, but after Justice Iqbal’s intervention questionnaires have been sent to them by cancelling the summons.

“Now the NAB chairman has second thoughts that respect should be given to females. That double standard is condemnable. There should be an institution to do accountability of NAB as well as of the Federal Investigation Agency,” Dr Shah said.

She said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was the backbone of the economy but its conditions, agreed with China, were not being shared with parliament.

She asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to tell the nation where the money received from Saudi Arabia, China and the UAE was spent. He should also share details about the dams fund. “The prime minister should also tell the nation why NAB did not raid the house of federal Minister for Planning Khusro Bakhtiar and why he is taking him to China?” she asked.

Dr Shah asked Special Assistant to the PM on Accountability Shahzad Akbar to resign as the government had planned to launch a new amnesty scheme. “Finance Minister Asad Umar has claimed that the deal with IMF has been finalised and Pakistan will get $6 billion to $8bn, but we have information that the IMF has made harsh conditions,” she said.

PPP’s deputy information secretary Palwasha Khan said the masses were suffering because of the price hike, but the government was preparing to impose new taxes of Rs155bn.

She said the high court had rejected references prepared by NAB against Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and Hanif Abbasi.

PPP’s chief coordinator Nazir Dhoki said PM Khan had been saying that the CDA had earned Rs11bn by auctioning plots without giving commission to anyone, but in fact these plots were sold at the same rate about two years ago. “Why prices of these plots could not be increased even after two years?”

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2019