NAB under the dynamic leadership of Honorable Justice Mr. Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB has been rejuvenated and geared through its proactive anti-corruption strategy by adopting “Accountability for All” policy. Today NAB has become a vibrant and reports and surveys of different reputable national and international organizations like PILDAT, Mishal Pakistan, Gallop and Gilani Survey, Transparency International and World Economic Forum have not only appreciated performance of NAB but also indicated that 59 percent Pakistanis have trust upon NAB due to its across the board actions.
NAB strongly believes in self accountability, transparency and merit as per law and has opened its doors for citizens related to their corruption related complaints. Chairman NAB during public hearings on every last Thursday of month not only listen public complaints himself but has disposed off 2500 complainants through personal hearings as per law.
The performance of NAB under the dynamic leadership of Honorable Justice Mr. Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB remained excellent. NAB received 44,315 complaints in 2018 which were almost double from the previous year, and after due process scrutinized complaints as per law. On the basis of prima facia evidence, 1,713 complaints were converted into complaint verifications which were again scrutinized and after complaint verifications, 877complaints were converted into inquiries; After obtaining point of views of both complainants and accused persons, inquiries were converted into investigations and subsequently 227 investigations were upgraded and 440 corruption references were filed in respected Accountability courts during the last single year; an excellent achievement as compared to last five years of NAB.
On the basis of across the board accountability under its Enforcement policy, NAB has not only arrested 503 accused persons during one year but also recovered Rs. 2,580 million from corrupt elements and deposited all amount in national exchequer. The recovery made by NAB during the last one year was then returned to hundreds of affectees and some government departments and not a single rupee has been received by any NAB employee as NAB officers/officials consider eradication of corruption from the country as their national duty. NAB has convened 20 Executive Board meetings during the last year in which various complaint verifications, inquiries, investigations and references were authorized and approved. Today, more than 1,210 corruption references of NAB amounting approximately Rs. 900 billion are under trial in various respected Accountability Courts of the country. Besides being apex anti-corruption organization, today’s NAB has emerged as a role model institution among SAARC countries due to its effective anti corruption strategy of enforcement, awareness and prevention. On bilateral cooperation, NAB has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China to streamline the cooperation in the field of anti-corruption. In the context of CPEC, this cooperation will further boost confidence in projects undertaken in Pakistan.
Published in Daily Times, January 8th 2019.
