Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Gohar Nawaz Sindhu in a petition against the statement of the prime minister has called it an interference in the working of the accountability bureau.
“Prime Minister has issued this statement to exert pressure over the NAB.” Politicians want to impede NAB in its action against corrupt people,” the petitioner further said.
The petitioner pleaded to the court to issue an order to stop the prime minister stopping him from interference in the working of the accountability agency.
PM warning
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had criticized the corruption watchdog on Tuesday and threatened to clip its powers over “harassment of government officers”. He had said that bureaucrats were afraid of taking decisions because they were fearful of NAB harassment.
NAB terrifies government officers and hinders them from performing their duties, while NAB officials enter the houses and offices of ‘innocent people’ without verifying the authenticity of the charges against them, he had said.
The prime minister’s views were also echoed by the leader of opposition Syed Khursheed Shah in a statement. Talking to media he said that he had hoped that NAB would hold all people equally accountable, but many political parties had complained that unlike Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the bureau was doing nothing in Punjab, which was run by the ruling PML-N.
But PTI members rushed to NAB’s support in the National Assembly.
“NAB will definitely conduct inquiries if the Sharifs continue to plunder national wealth,” PTI leader Sarwar Khan said on the floor of the house, adding that the PM should make accountability institutions more powerful, instead of threatening them.
NAB vows improved accountability
Following the prime minister’s criticism of NAB regretted that it had “inherited some problems that hampered its investigation process”.
On Wednesday, NAB spokesperson Nawazish Ali Asim issued an official statement that vowed to improve the accountability process in line with the PM’s criticism and directives.
