LAHORE: The NAB has withdrawn all notices issued to flour millers of south Punjab, claims the Punjab chapter of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA).

The step was taken on the directives of NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal after a delegation of the PFMA, led by Habibur Rehman Leghari and Asim Raza, called on him in Islamabad on Friday.

The delegation apprised the NAB chief of the reservations the millers have regarding the notices and their impact on the working of the units as well as the economy, says a press release issued here.

It said Justice Iqbal not only ordered withdrawal of the notices but also assured the delegation that the bureau would neither bother any business nor create an atmosphere of harassment to deter investors away.

Liaquat Ali Khan, a member of the delegation, told Dawn that NAB notices were related to Ramazan Package the last government had introduced in 2016-18.

He said at least 315 flour mills of south Punjab had been sent the notices to submit their respective record related to the Package with the NAB within 15 days, while Faisalabad and Sahiwal units had yet to be sent the notices.

Alleging that NAB initiated the step when some food officials were found involved in wrongdoings, Mr Khan said the mills submitted the record as per NAB demand and were waiting for further directions apprehending they could be harassed in the name of investigations even though “no illegality or irregularity was found against them in the record” as they had nothing to conceal.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2019