NAB chief dismisses claims of targeting PML-N

Lahore [Pakistan]: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, (Retd.) Justice Javed Iqbal has dismissed Pakistan Muslim League's (PML) allegations of the anti-graft watchdog targeting a single party.

Iqbal said, the bureau has no political agenda and will continue its actions against corrupt elements in accordance with law, without any influence.

"We are targeting no specific political party. We have no political agenda. People (politicians) should appear before NAB when summoned in any investigation and at the same time they can run their election campaign," Dawn quoted the NAB chairman as saying.

"As NAB chairman, I have never taken any action beyond law and Constitution. I request do not politicise NAB. It is established to fight corruption and serve people. It has got nothing to do with politics. Whether A or B is in the government NAB has to fight corruption and I believe that its actions (against the corrupt) cannot be stopped," he added.

He slammed the ones not taking NAB's summons seriously.

"NAB's notice is not some kind of (party) invitation. A notice is issued in accordance with law and it should be taken seriously. Those not following the law will be made to do so. To eliminate corruption, NAB was working before the elections and will continue doing so after that with full dedication," Dawn quoted the NAB chairman as saying.

NAB has, for the third time, issued a notice to PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif for July, to appear before its combined investigation team in Lahore in connection with the Punjab Saaf Pani Company scam.

He has skipped two back-to-back NAB hearings in this case.

Similarly, Shahbaz's son-in-law Ali Imran Yousuf did not appear before NAB despite receiving three consecutive notices.

Rejecting a perception that the bureau was only active in Punjab, Iqbal said, NAB is only taking action where corruption is r
eported.