NAB came into being as a result of public demand and under
the international obligation that states should take effective measures to curb
corruption from their societies, especially the government officers as
corruption leads to deprivation of masses from their rights and leads to
exploitation of the people at the hand of government machinery. Such
exploitation gives rise to poverty and public unrest, and it may further result
in crimes, low trust in democratic values, and ultimately disturbance and
anarchy. This is the grand policy view of the world democratic forces to save
the world order from revolt and unrest and societies must take meaningful
actions to plug the holes in the wastage of public resources. Petty corruption
cases in our country were dealt by the Anti-corruption department and some
higher cases were taken cognizance by FIA; however, owing to the intrinsic
weaknesses and malpractices of the two existing agencies, a new and powerful
agency was created in the name of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) which was
established with full authority and coercive powers and tremendous resources,
both human and financial. NAB was provided all kinds of support and free hand,
and today it is designed on professional lines with greater power, more legal
cover and free hand in selection of a target and unlimited time for completion
of its inquiries and investigation.
NAB remained very effective in the initial years of its establishment and
claimed many laurels to its cap and trumpeted many stories of disrupting the
corrupt rackets and putting some big fish behind the bar. However, as the
culture in this country, and like Anti corruption and FIA, there is marked
decrease in the efficiency and output of the NAB in the recent years. NAB
developed its own malpractices in the years. Not to mention the political
opponents of the government, there is a wide spread discontent about the
functions and purpose of NAB. No doubt NAB has Become extremely sluggish
and partisan in many cases. A ray of hope is seen in the shape of Mr. Hussain
Asghar , the Deputy Chairman NAB, who is a man of honour and dignity and has an
unblemished service record. His reputation is that of honesty, incorruptibility
and going by the book. However, when we see the situation in NAB, KP, we think
that if Mr. Hussain Asghar has either left the NAB or has no knowledge of what
is going on in the NAB, KPK. Until recently especially in the tenure of
ShahzadSaleem as Director General NAB, KPK, it was an impartial and effective
unit. But now NAB, KP itself has become a fountainhead of corrupt practices. Let
me give you a few examples:
NAB, KP acts only on the request of some secret services. If the secret services
are reconciled with the non-conformists then the complaints and enquires are
withdrawn. However, if someone is targeted, just an anonymous letter is good
enough to start full-fledged enquiries. Some recent reforms by NAB Headquarters
are expected to plug this malpractice by NAB, KP.
In specific case, the enquiry /complaint against an incumbent Commissioner of an
important Division in KP is being hushed up. The Commissioner has four-kanal of
well-built house, a business and property in Dubai, and assets beyond means,
whereas his father was a cart-driver (Tanga-Ban), and who doesn't known that he
earned a fortune of Rs. 5 million per day while he was the Political Agent in
the most lucrative place of Khyber Agency before FATA-merger. The technique of
the NAB, KP is either to send case to Anti-Corruption or guide the accused to
take stay from the High Court, or they put the References in the trial court,
and so save the accused from interrogation and arrest. NAB, KP did the same
malpractices in the case of as sitting Secretary in the provincial government,
whose assets are beyond means, but after palm-greasing, his case was sent to
Anti-Corruption. How naive that an asset case of Grade-20 (PAS) is sent to
Anti-Corruption whereas. It is headed by a grade-18 officer of prosecution
service who is a close friend of the incumbent provincial secretary. This
malpractice was also very daringly adopted in the infamous case of polio scandal
of KP Police where bewildering corruption of multi-multi millions was sent to
Anti-Corruption, saving senior police officers who have shamelessly usurped the
money of poor constables. How Anti-Corruption can carry out the enquiries
against an IG Police or a CCPO and a DIG-Range who are very powerful and it is a
mega case of multi-millions in the KP Police. Even the notorious Arms Scandal of
KP Police is being thrown to cold storage for the reason that the incumbent
powerful police and intelligence officers are involved in it. In some other
cases, the NAB, KP has become over efficient and has sent reference cases to the
courts, so the accused are enjoying and the arrest was avoided after a deal
under the table.
There is an expectation of the Deputy Chairman, as he has no video recording by
IB and has clean record, that all the asset enquiries and mega scandals against
the said Commissioner, the Secretary Local Government and the Polio Scandal, be
recalled from the Anti-Corruption, KP as conducting assets enquiries or mega
scandals are beyond the scope of Anti Corruption, and such cases be given to
honest officers in NAB, KP or Islamabad, and action shall be taken against those
who have tarnished the image of NAB by these malpractices in NAB, KP.