Daily Times

He was a serving Army Major when became part of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 1999 and later preferred to serve the Country through offering his services into the Bureau whereby joining the sacred cause of crushing corruption from mother-land. He is currently serving as Director General NAB Lahore namely Shahzad Saleem.

It is, none the less, a matter of fact that after Terrorism, what has inflicted the worst damages to Pakistan is Corruption and in the current scenario Corruption has emerged as the leading devastative element for the country. This is the ripe time when this nation of over 220 Million needs true and meticulous leaders particularly in accountability watchdog organizations.

Incumbent Chairman of NAB, Justice (R) Javed Iqbal assumed his charge in October 2017. While assuming his office as supreme commander of the Bureau, he out rightly declared that from the very day to onwards, the NAB would hold across the board Accountability and also raised the slogan of “Accountability for All” which has been proved and materialized in true sense. Few months earlier of his appointment as Chairman NAB, Regional Bureau Lahore had its DG got retired on the directions of honorable Supreme Court and Mr. Shahzad Saleem was replaced as DG NAB Lahore in April 2017. This was the turning point in the Accountability era when Justice Javed Iqbal was sitting in NAB Headquarters and Shahzad Saleem was reaming NAB Punjab.

Incumbent Chairman of NAB, Justice (R) Javed Iqbal assumed his charge in October 2017. While assuming his office as supreme commander of the Bureau, he out rightly declared that from the very day to onwards, the NAB would hold across the board Accountability and also raised the slogan of “Accountability for All” which has been proved and materialized in true sense

From the day of his appointment, this man of words left no stone unturned to wipe-out the menace of corruption from countryside. Numerous stunts were also observed during his occupancy as DG Lahore Bureau including arrest of strongest Bureaucrats, Federal and Provincial Ministers, leading businessmen and other public office holders viz Mian Nawaz Sharif, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, PTI’s influential minister Aleem Khan, Khawaja Brothers, Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, PTI’s senior provincial minister accused Sibtain Khan in mines and minerals case, Principle Secretary to PM accused Fawad Hassan Fawad, accused Ahad Khan Cheema, Manzar Hyat, Ikram Naveed and many more. This clearly depicts the true sense of ‘washing powder Accountability’.

The much ado accountability drive by the duo also drove up the recovery process from corrupt elements to multifold increased. Other regions also contributed into the collective figure as under the chairmanship of Justice Javed Iqbal, whereas, in less than 27 months tenure, NAB successfully recovered Rs 153 Billion (directly and indirectly) from dishonest elements. Major chunk of said performance was contributed by NAB Lahore under supervision of Regional DG Shahzad Saleem with an annual increase of 500% in recoveries amounting to Rs 38Billion average per year. This indicates the process of Accountability with outcome.

Mr. Shahzad Saleem has been supervising more than 400 corruption related Cases in his Regional Bureau Lahore which include billions of rupees of general Public and government money. In recent past, NAB Lahore held a record breaking Plea Bargain (PB) in Lahore’s renowned Housing Society Case titled ‘Ferozpur City Case’ amounting to Rs 2025Million of which two third (2/3) amount has been handed over back to the thousands of affectees of the Scam. This is only one example of housing sector in which general public has been facilitated by the NAB Lahore; there are numerous other Societies in which collectively more than 54000 affectees have been benefited. Recalling them as Khayaban-i-Ameen Housing Society, Elite Town Housing Society, Pak-Arab Housing Society, Model Housing Enclaves, LDA Avenue-I, Paragon City Case and Eden Housing Scam etc.

DG NAB Lahore took numerous lawful notices over mismanagement and criminal negligence of different government and private departments falling into domain of NAB

During 2019, some Education Sector related cases also surfaced which have been investigated by the Bureau in which numerous arrests were made. Prominent were of Punjab University Scandal which was pertaining to alleged illegal appointments and misusing of authority matter; Sargodha University Case regarding alleged illegal appointments and embezzlement of funds along with opening of an illegal campus in Lahore. References in Punjab University Case and Sargodha University Case have been filed in Accountability Court while in Sargodha University Case a major PB was held under the approval of Accountability Court, Lahore.

DG NAB Lahore took numerous lawful notices over mismanagement and criminal negligence of different government and private departments falling into domain of NAB. The briefings include from Higher Education Commission, Punjab Higher Education Commission; Briefing from Lahore Waster Management Company (LWMC); briefings from Hospital Waste Management; briefing from Punjab Aids Control Program officials; Briefing from Oversees Commission; briefing from Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) and briefing from Punjab Health Care Commission and officials from private Labs operating in Pakistan etc. In all the briefings suitable counterproductive orders and suggestions were leveled to bring reforms and overcome technical lapses through the help of NAB’s Awareness and Prevention (A&P) Wing. Credit of plentiful reforms introduced and implemented in the functioning of govt departments goes to Mr. Shahzad Saleem and his hardworking team. There are no doubt lefts behind if state gets diligent and committed officers like DG NAB Lahore.