ISLAMABAD: The new chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), retired Justice Javed Iqbal, has said the bureau was not set up to exact political revenge.

“The bureau was not established to promote the wishes of any individual or to take revenge,” he said on Wednesday at a meeting attended by senior NAB officials, including NAB’s Deputy Chairman Imtiaz Tajwar and its Director General for Operations Zahir Shah.

Interestingly, since its establishment NAB has been criticised frequently for being used as a “tool to keep the opposition parties under pressure”.

Justice Iqbal urged the officials to work diligently and take decisions on merit. “The officers working for NAB do not belong to any party or person but to the bureau and the state,” he remarked.

At the meeting the NAB chairman also reviewed performance of the bureau’s operations division.

Justice Iqbal said NAB should ensure transparency in its work and gather evidence after carrying out thorough investigation so that the corrupt could be handed down appropriate sentences by the accountability courts, high courts and the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

“Proper prosecution of cases would serve to enhance the reputation of NAB,” he said.

“My top priority is the policy of zero tolerance [for corruption] and self accountability for ending the menace,” he said, adding that he himself would monitor the cases involving promotion and deputation of NAB officials.

It would be ensured that NAB officials worked as a team and with a new passion, vigour and commitment, he added.

The NAB chairman also said he would personally supervise the filing of references in the accountability courts so that demands of justice were met.

He said that NAB officials were supposed to end corruption in the country and they should work according to the law to curb the menace.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2017