KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) assured the business community on Friday that the bureau would not pursue the business community’s sales- and income tax-related cases and would transfer the existing ones to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for further action.

This assurance was given by NAB chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal to a delegation of the Federation of Pakistan Cha­mbers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) which called on him at the NAB headquarters in Isla­mabad.

The delegation was led by FPCCI president Eng Daroo Khan Achakzai.

The NAB chairman said that notices issued by NAB’s Multan office to flour mill-owners of Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan were being suspended forthwith.

He said the business community was the backbone of the country and the bureau acknowledged its services in progress and prosperity of the country.

He said that NAB was a business- and human-friendly institution which gave top priority to resolving issues of the business community.

Brushing aside rumours that businessmen were disturbed over NAB’s initiatives, Justice Iqbal said the community should not be perturbed over the bureau’s future actions.

He said a prosperous business community would also help bring prosperity to the country. He said NAB did not hurt any suspect during investigation, adding that he himself had decided to hold open kutchery on the last Thursday of every month.

He said the businessmen who were striving for the betterment of the country’s economy and providing employment opportunities to hundreds of workers would not be harassed.

Justice Iqbal said that action was being taken against owners of private housing societies who had looted life earnings of the poor as some societies had not provided plots and the amount to the poor and NAB was striving hard to recover the looted money.

The NAB chairman said a special desk had been established at the bureau’s headquarters to address issues of the business community. He said that the bureau would protect the interest of the country and the traders who preferred the country’s interest over their personal interests.

He said the country had a debt of billions of dollars and the borrowed amount had not been spent on the betterment of the people and the bureau was duty-bound to make those accountable who had wasted the borrowed money. He said the bureau did not consider the face but the case and loyalties of the bureau were with the country and the main aim of the institution was to improve the weak economy and recover looted money of billions of rupees.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Achakzai said that the entire business community appreciated the role of NAB and the measures taken by it for transparency and curbing corruption in the country. He lauded the efforts of the NAB chairman for resolving issues of the business community.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2019