ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is currently holding inquiries and investigations against hundreds of people including 70 politicians, 121 businessmen and 210 government officers of grade-20 and above, the Senate was told.
According to details shared by the Minister of Law Farogh Naseem in response to Senator Ateeq Khan’s query, NAB since 2008 has decided about 4,871 cases including about 3,046 inquiries, 581 investigations and 1,244 references.
The written reply said 856 inquiries are under way against different people and organisations. Forty three (43) are initiated against politicians, 67 against businessmen, 136 against top civil servants of grade20-22 and 610 against other citizens.
The minister said investigations are under way against 314 people including 27 politicians, 54 businessmen, 74 top civil servants. He, however, did not share names of the people against whom the inquiries and investigations are under way or completed.
The NAB was recently castigated by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar for releasing names of suspects against whom the bureau started initial probe.
Senator Ateeq Khan had asked details about NAB inquiries (or the initial phase of probe), investigations (the second phase) and references (the final legal phase) against politicians, businessmen and government officers of 20 and above.
Water shortage
The minister for water resources also submitted reply to a question. He said water storage capacity of Tarbela Dam has reduced due to silting in the reservoir. As per results of Hydrographic Survey 2017, the live and gross storage capacities of Tarbela reservoir have reduced by 37.524% and 40.58% respectively.
“Wapda (Water and Power Development Authority) being custodian of the Tarbela Dam Project has conducted sedimentation studies in the years 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2007, 2013 and 2014,” the reply added.
