-Senate Deputy Chairman rains down on anti-graft buster, says will have it blacklisted across the globe
By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Calling the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as a “blackmailing organisation” last week, Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla again slammed the anti-graft watchdog in a press conference on Sunday
Addressing the presser along with civil society members, Mandviwalla vowed to hold the anti-graft watchdog accountable for its actions and to launch an unprecedented investigation against it.
He said that the NAB had become a laughing stock and their “actions had lost credibility in the bureaucracy, judiciary, civil society and even among members of the business community”.
Mandviwalla said the watchdog has always “used intimidation tactics, filed fake arrests and committed many atrocities in the name of justice”. He claimed that several people have “died in NAB’s custody, and it is high time the bureau was investigated.”
“Now the senators will hold the NAB accountable. We will approach every foreign ambassador, every parliamentarian in Pakistan and will expose NAB’s atrocities,” he said. “I will not only have NAB blacklisted in Pakistan, but also world over,” the deputy chairman asserted.
Mandviwalla maintained that with the help of the government and the opposition he will make efforts to introduce legislation curbing the graft-buster’s power.
“What we can’t understand is who should be held accountable. NAB should abstain from basing its actions on political or personal vendettas. If it [NAB] really wants to hold someone accountable, it should do so on the basis of merit,” the deputy chairman Senate maintained. He opined that owing to its actions and undue pressure tactics, NAB’s credibility was not strengthening; instead, the institution was getting maligned due to its abrupt decisions.
The deputy chairman further stated that the conflict was no longer between him and NAB, but between NAB and the whole of Pakistan, adding that there is consensus across the political spectrum that NAB should be exposed.
As per the senator, he had written a letter to the prime minisnter regarding NAB’s conduct, and will also write to the army chief.
Mandviwalla added that he, along with other senators, will make sure to investigate the appointment of NAB’s Director-General Irfan Mangi and Investigation Officer Mudassar. “We will check the degrees of NAB’s employees. It will be the first time when NAB will be held accountable… how its employees are leading a lifestyle beyond their means,” he said.
The deputy chairman stressed that no one would be able to stop him from conducting an investigation, and that he will not fall prey to NAB’s intimidation tactics.
“Unlike the probes carried out by the NAB, this investigation will not be conducted inside a closed room.The trial will be conducted in front of the media, and facts will be presented in front of everyone,” he observed. He claimed that Senate’s move against NAB is not targeted at a specific individual but against all the injustices that the institution has committed.
The deputy chairman maintained that there is unanimous agreement between all senators that the National Accountability Bureau should itself be held accountable, adding that he will hold a press conference with the presidents of all the chambers of commerce as well.
Previously, the Senate deputy chairman had called the NAB a “blackmailing organisation” and alleged that people went to the national graft buster only to seek plea bargain to save their honour.
He maintained that PM Imran had earlier assured him of across the board accountability but currently, NAB was only “victimising” the opposition.
He also said that for the first time in history the “Senate of Pakistan” was under the threat of NAB and that the bureau was creating chaos in the country. The senator recalled that the National Commission on Human Rights and the Supreme Court had criticised NAB for violations of human rights.
The anti-corruption establishment had recently frozen Mandviwalla’s assets in connection with a fake accounts case.
According to a report submitted by the bureau, the Senate deputy chairman had allegedly bought benami shares in the name of a person who was an accused in a fake accounts case.
