APROPOS the editorial ‘The NAB controversy’ (May 27). The issue has been highlighted in a balanced manner. In my view the issue is not the misalignment in the positions of the main opposition parties. Regardless of the divergence in the positions of these parties, the first question relates to the link, if any, of the leak of the video with the present government. It was being said in many quarters that the owner of the TV news channel that first broke the news is very close to the high-ups of the government.

Simply saying that the TV news channel owner had no formal position will not suffice. The prime minister should have made a statement in the matter clarifying the relationship between the PTI leadership and the news channel owner.

Second, it is incorrect to say that the issue surrounding the leak was a personal matter. The NAB Chairman’s position has been compromised, an issue over which NAB is actively nabbing many a politician.

Third, it is a commonly held view that NAB by scaring everyone: politicians, businesspersons and bureaucrats were issued notices without proper investigation. This inadvertently damaged the economy.

Fourth, for NAB to then actively pursue the cases against the woman’s husband regardless of his ‘unlawful’ behaviour is neither transparent nor in good taste.

Fifth, since the NAB chief’s position has become controversial, any accountability under his stewardship will have little credibility. Therefore, from moral, social and legal perspectives, it would be honourable on his part to step down and let a parliamentary party go about fact-finding. If he is cleared, he can seek restoration to his post. And, whoever might have been behind this episode should be taken to task.

Finally to restore NAB’s credibility among the public, it would not be out of place to order a third party audit of this institution to make it a more credible entity.

Dr Zafar I. Qureshi

Lahore

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2019