Dissolve NAB, holds its employees accountable: Abbasi tells new govt

PML-N senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday urged the new government to dissolve the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) whose chairman Javed Iqbal was “fully under the control” of former premier Imran Khan.

“NAB’s employees looted and tortured people for years. It’s time they should be held accountable,” he said at a media talk in Islamabad Tuesday morning and talking with Geo News Anchor person Shahzeb Khanzada on Tuesday.

The remarks by the PML-N leader came a day after the party president Shehbaz Sharif, took oath as the 23rd premier of Pakistan following the ouster of Imran through a joint opposition effort.

Abbasi advised the government to end NAB and hold its officials accountable who allegedly tortured and looted people for years during the PTI regime. “The NAB chairman used to take instructions from the previous government,” he said, alleging a member of Imran’s cabinet used to direct the bureau chief to lodge fake cases against the opposition.

“The weak NAB chairman will now go after Imran’s friends,” he claimed, adding that the accountability watchdog had failed to file a single reference over the alleged corruption in Imran’s government. The facts about NAB will be brought to light soon, he added.

Abbasi said the government will move courts to seek the installation of cameras inside the accountability courts to expose the reality of NAB’s accountability drive.

To a question about the protest move by Imran, Abbasi said the new government will complete its tenure whereas Imran will keep roaming the streets. He also criticised the former government for ruining the country.

He claimed that there was a minister in Imran Khan’s office who used to issue orders to the NAB chief regarding lodging fake cases, arresting people and defaming them. “This is your NAB chairman … who stayed quiet on Imran Khan’s corruption,” the PML-N leader added.

He also lamented that NAB couldn’t prove a single reference or inquiry against PML-N leaders in the last four years. “Why didn’t they investigate people who were involved in corruption worth billions [of rupees] and were sitting in the federal cabinet,” Abbasi demanded.