ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chief retired Justice Javed Iqbal on Tuesday rejected malicious claims and “sinister propaganda” against the graft buster who he said will continue to pursue the “untouchables”.
Addressing a gathering of members of the Islamabad chamber of commerce, Justice Iqbal, without naming anyone, said those who owned plazas in Dubai were not able to justify their income.
In a thinly veiled reference to former finance minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar, he said: “When NAB asked them you owned a Honda motorcycle a few years ago and today [all of a sudden] you have plazas in Dubai, where did all of this [money] come from? They had no answer.”
“They thought that it was better to leave the country [than being interrogated by NAB],” he said.
“NAB,” he said, “took the first step and went after people who were untouchable until a few years ago.” “People whom you couldn’t look in the eye, whom you couldn’t touch, whom you couldn’t summon even in your dreams, NAB summoned them,” he added.
“Intimidation, threats or blackmailing [the agency] will not affect its work.”
He said since 2017, when he assumed charge, the agency had recovered Rs487 billion.
Iqbal insisted the agency was not working against the interests of the corporate sector and rejected claims of businessmen being “forced” to flee the country because of NAB. Businessmen who left the country, he said, had done so “for a better future [and on] their own accord.”
In several cases, he said, accused in corruption references had sought out of court settlements with the complainants and the watchdog never objected to it.
He clarified the agency was not pursuing taxation cases against the business community anymore. Justice Iqbal further said the country’s exports were lesser than Bangladesh’s because of expensive electricity and gas, the law and order situation which he said was now improving, and weak policies.
Regretting the “sinister propaganda” being carried out against the agency, he said: “The only thing that is left to be said is that corona was brought about by NAB.”
He insisted the agency had never humiliated any suspect, denying the accusations that suspects dying in its custody. The investigation had revealed the deaths were caused by heart attacks, he said.
Any suspect who is suffering from medical conditions, Iqbal said, is immediately taken to a hospital.
The NAB chief said that currently, 1,235 corruption references were pending in courts but not even one percent of them was against members of the business community.
He added that in the past three years, NAB had never intervened to stop a housing project that was under construction.
The way PDM members and people from PPP and PML-N talk with pride and immunity if they were in any stricter national law country let’s say Turkey, they would face a life sentence or even a hanging after termed as anarchist or even a traitor.
I’m talking about Zardari’s “NAB ke chairman ki kia majaal” and The attitudes from the Mandviwala’s and Sindh & Punjab’s political Oligarchy. They would be annihilated in any other country so they should be thankful that they can be a free walking traitors and thugs in Pakistan.
It’s dire need for us to be loyal to the flag and not these PPP and PML-N political mafia’s because for them Pakistan is just a cash cow. Pakistan can go to hell and any enemy of Pakistan can devour it they wouldn’t care any less. They can sell Pakistan in a heart beat.
As a Pakistani if we have to save this country for our children, Stop voting for traitors for your personal gains because this Rupee you carry in your pockets would be useless when these traitors sell Pakistan. I hope NAB does it’s work and drag these traitors to the gallows.