THE National Accountability Bureau has stepped up its investigations against the PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif and has been summoning him for interrogations on a regular basis. Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, who is fond of making political predictions based on what he claims are his close sources, says there is a likelihood that NAB may arrest Mr Sharif after Eid. To inflame the situation further, the government’s accountability czar Barrister Shahzad Akbar hurled fresh allegations of financial wrongdoing at Mr Sharif on Wednesday and hinted that more legal troubles were brewing for the former chief minister of Punjab. The PML-N has termed these allegations a pack of lies and reiterated its position that NAB is unleashing persecution on opposition members including Shahbaz Sharif at the behest of the government. In the meantime, NAB has once again summoned former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi despite the fact that nothing substantive has been brought out against him in a court of law. Politics, it seems, is heating up in sync with the alarming Covid-19 situation.

There is much that does not add up here. The conduct of NAB has become so controversial that it is very difficult to believe that its actions are not laced with partisan politicking. This perception is solidified every time opposition leaders are hauled up on flimsy charges while government ministers charged with similar offences are left alone. NAB has done itself no favours by refusing to nullify this negative perception. On the contrary, the bureau has stepped up its activities against those who are opposed to the PTI government. This is unfortunate because NAB is a taxpayer-funded organisation that is mandated to carry out accountability in a manner that is impartial. In this respect, NAB has been a spectacular failure. Similarly, the PTI government has done a disservice to the cause of accountability by subordinating it to the political interests of the party leadership. By unleashing a torrent of accusations against opposition leaders, government representatives like Barrister Shahzad Akbar undermine the role that a sitting government should play. This role demands that the government either carry out thorough investigations and take the accused to court, or allow NAB to conduct its own inquiries through due process. By hurling accusations through the media, the government only reconfirms the perception that the real objective is less legal and more political. This cannot be justified on any grounds.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2020