Fawad credits PTI for accountability; NAB seeks action against minister

Published June 21, 2019
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry. — DawnNewsTV/File
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry. — DawnNewsTV/File

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday rejected Fawad Chaudhry's remarks that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, not the anti-corruption watchdog, deserved credit for accountability.

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry in a June 19 appearance on GeoNews show Capital Talk had said: "We had promised accountability. All those who had to be held accountable, we held them accountable successfully," he said.

Know more: Information minister and NAB at odds — again

Senior journalist Hamid Mir, who was hosting the show, interrupted the minister and asked, "Are you responsible for accountability, or is it NAB?"

The minister replied, "No, we are [responsible]. Where was NAB before?"

The same day, the minster took to Twitter to clarify his stance on the issue in response to a tweet shared by Mir of the video clip in which Chaudhry made the remarks.

Mir's tweet stated: "If anyone has the impression that NAB is performing important accountability duties, then please dispel this impression, because Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry says 'We are responsible for accountability,' and that everyone knows who 'we' refers to."

Chaudhry responded in the affirmative, saying that "Prime Minister Imran Khan introduced a narrative against corruption in this country. It seemed as though corruption wasn't an issue here at all. It used to even be said in political rallies that 'If he plunders, at least he also puts money into development'. The PTI put an end to this and created a culture of accountability. Institutions existed before too, but no one considered corruption a bad thing."

A press release issued by NAB on June 21 stated that the body had taken notice of the minister's comments on the television show, and rejected his statement as being contrary to facts.

According to the press release, NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal directed the NAB Rawalpindi director general to acquire an attested copy of Chaudhry's remarks from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (Pemra) and initiate action against the minister as per the law.

Chaudhry's comments not only tarnished the image of NAB, but also invalidated the contributions of NAB officials who consider the elimination of corruption a national duty and have been discharging their duties with honesty and hard work, the anti-corruption watchdog said.

"The said statement of the minister can influence and create hurdles in ongoing investigations in NAB. It is worth mentioning that the government has never sent a reference to NAB for accountability," the press release added.

Opinion

Editorial

Climate realities
Updated 13 Jun, 2025

Climate realities

Finance Minister says, "We are living climate change day in and day out”.
Minimum wages
Updated 13 Jun, 2025

Minimum wages

Foolish to expect toothless and corrupt provincial employees’ social security organisations to force wealthy employers to implement the minimum wage.
Iran attack fears
13 Jun, 2025

Iran attack fears

AS the fate of the US-Iran talks remains undecided, there are worrying signs that in case the negotiations collapse,...
Lack of direction
Updated 12 Jun, 2025

Lack of direction

Few believe that a govt desperate to grow the economy can actually pull it off, as the dynamism required is not visible.
Taxing e-commerce
12 Jun, 2025

Taxing e-commerce

FOR the first time, the government has the digital economy in its crosshairs. With a slew of new measures proposed ...
Kashmir mediation
12 Jun, 2025

Kashmir mediation

ONE of the noteworthy outcomes of last month’s limited clashes between Pakistan and India is that the Kashmir ...