ISLAMABAD, April 4: The government has wound up the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Special Operation Wing, which was mainly focusing on cases relating to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari, government officials told Dawn on Wednesday.

They said that NAB’s Deputy Chairman Hassan Waseem Afzal, who was in-charge of the wing, was made personal secretary to Punjab Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Khalid Maqbool.

The government’s move is being seen as a major step towards reaching an understanding with the Pakistan People’s Party ahead of the general elections, expected to be held by the end of 2007.

The sources said the wing had been closed by President General Pervez Musharraf because he was disappointed with its performance.

They are reported to have told the president was informed by senior NAB officials that Waseem Afzal was pursuing his personal agenda of targeting the PPP. He was also accused of misusing his authority and wasting funds.