PESHAWAR: National Accounta­bility Bureau (NAB) chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal has said that eradication of corruption and taking action against corrupt elements is the top priority of NAB and that he has no personal grudges against anyone.

He said this while speaking as chief guest at a function held at the NAB regional office here on Thursday.

The NAB chairman was apparently responding to a demand by former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supreme leader Nawaz Sharif earlier in the day that Mr Iqbal should tender an apology for ordering an inquiry against him for allegedly transferring $4.9 billion to India when he was chief executive of the country.

Mr Iqbal said NAB had nothing to do with the coming general elections in the country, adding that the bureau was working impartially and would continue taking across-the-board action against corrupt elements before and after the election. He said NAB was taking every action purely in the national interest and in accordance with the law in order to eradicate the menace of corruption from the country without any discrimination.

In apparent response to demand for apology by Nawaz Sharif, Javed Iqbal says he has no personal grudges against anyone

On the occasion, the NAB chief distributed cheques among some people affected by corruption scams from the money recovered from those involved in the cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Director General of NAB in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Farmanullah Khan was present on the occasion.

The NAB chief appreciated the efforts made by the officials concerned for the recovery of millions of rupees from corrupt elements in various cases and said the recovery of the amount was laudable. He said holding of such events and payment to affected people were examples of NAB’s impartial role and its strenuous efforts against corrupt elements.

Since its establishment NAB had recovered Rs290 billion, he said, adding that the bureau had recovered Rs14bn in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The country, he said, was in debt of $84bn and it was necessary to know as to where such a huge amount was spent. He said NAB would take all possible steps to recover the huge money looted from public in the name of Haj, Modaraba and various housing societies and to discourage people involved in corrupt practices.

The NAB chief urged people to invest their hard-earned money in housing and other schemes after confirming that they were being offered by authorised private sector organisations in order to save themselves from fraudulent people.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2018