NAB unleashed
HE chairman of the National Accountability Bureau, retired
T Justice Javed Iqbal, has halted proceedings of the fake
bank accounts case against Senate deputy chairman Saleem
Mandviwala after he blasted NAB for resorting to blackmail in
order to extort money from people. The PPP senator accused the
anti-corruption watchdog of committing human rights violations
and using the name of the army while indulging in extortion
activities. He said that the DG NAB Rawalpindi, Irfan Mangi, was
openly saying he enjoyed the support of the army and no one could
remove him. The senator said he would highlight NAB’s activities
at international forums. Mr Mandviwala also disclosed that he had
written letters against NAB to the prime minister and army chief.
The charge sheet against NAB as presented by the senator is a
serious one. If even a fraction of what he has said is true, it shows an
organisation untethered from all bounds of accountability and acting
in a manner that should concern every citizen. It is unimaginable in
a democracy that a state organisation could be openly resorting to
threats, blackmail, extortion and human rights violations without
any fear of consequences. There have been persistent reports of
NAB hounding citizens, threatening them with arrests, harassing
them and coercing them into plea bargains. These reports also speak
about NAB officials acting with impunity, behaving like thugs, and
abusing their powers in a routine manner. A retired army officer,
who had also worked with NAB, had committed suicide and left a
note saying that NAB’s consistent browbeating and blackmail had
driven him to the extreme step.
It is rather shocking that senior officials like DG NAB Rawalpindi
are carelessly using the name of the army to justify their acts of
omission and commission. The relevant authorities should take
serious notice of this, and if proven to be true, ensure that this
NAB official faces the full brunt of the law. The NAB chairman,
under whose watch this organisation is regressing into a national
embarrassment, should identify the black sheep within and take
remedial action against them. The unfortunate aspect of this
sordid saga is that NAB’s roguish behaviour combines with its
incompetence in terms of investigations. The Supreme Court has
regularly criticised NAB for such rank incompetence and told
the chairman to set his house in order. However, instead of NAB
correcting its mistakes and improving its performance, it is getting
worse. The government and parliament should take note of how
NAB is damaging democracy, society and even national interest by
giving the country a bad name. The government should also order
an inquiry to determine if NAB officials are soiling the name of the
armed forces for their personal agendas and ulterior motives. NAB
must be reformed before it does more damage to Pakistan. The
country cannot endure the burden of such a flawed organisation.