Daily Times

As reflected in the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB)’s official website, it is an autonomous and constitutionally established anti-corruption organisation of Pakistan. NAB was created in 1999 with a mission to work to eliminate corruption through a comprehensive approach encompassing prevention, awareness, monitoring and combating. With its headquarter in Islamabad, it has seven regional offices.

The Constitution of Pakistan empowers NAB to launch investigations, conduct inquiries, and issue arrest warrants against individuals suspected of financial mismanagement, terrorism and corruption (in private, state, defence and corporate sector), and directs cases to accountability courts.

Since October 11, 2017, Javed Iqbal, a highly reputed retired judge of the Supreme Court, is the chairman of NAB; he will serve as NAB ‘s chairman for a period of four years. He has 51 years of judicial experience and has also held the office of acting Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2007. He is a highly competent, experienced, dedicated, dynamic and a mission-oriented person who has displayed unimpeachable integrity while acting as the chairman of NAB. Under the dynamic leadership of Iqbal, NAB has taken many initiatives to carry forward the accountability process.

To further strengthen its prosecution system, NAB has recently decided to sign an agreement with the US’s Federal Bureau of Investigation and UK’s National Crime Agency. NAB is also making efforts to have an agreement of exchange of information with the World Bank and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. NAB has also adopted the method of using a combined investigation team (CIT) system to carry out inquiries.

To further strengthen its prosecution system, NAB has recently decided to sign an agreement with the US’s Federal Bureau of Investigation and UK’s National Crime Agency

To address its prosecution issues, NAB has recently started hiring well qualified and experienced prosecutors. To keep on record that suspects are not being disrespected at the time of arrest, NAB has also decided to introduce the system of making videos at the time of arresting a suspect. NAB has also rationalised its workload, and timelines have been prescribed for efficient, effective and expeditious disposal of cases, putting a maximum limit of 10 months, starting for complaint verification to inquiry to investigation, and finally, to a reference in the Accountability Court.

In the press release of the Transparency International, Pakistan, Chairman Sohail Muzaffar said, “NAB under the current leadership of Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal has performed much better, and NAB [has] rejuvenated after it has taken various initiatives, including the Combined Investigation Team System. NAB has collected Rs.153 billion from the corrupt elements and has filed 530 references, and its overall conviction ratio in the accountability courts is about 70 percent. NAB’s effective media campaigns to keep people aware of the ill effects of corruption are commendable.”

Muzaffar further stated that under the dynamic leadership of Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal, NAB’s anti-corruption drive in the last 20 months has resulted in an excellent impact that was much needed since its inception. He said, “During the first year of the tenure of Honourable Justice Javed Iqbal as Chairman NAB, Pakistan has achieved the highest CPI Score of 33/100, and the ranking has improved remarkably to number 117 out of 180 countries.”

The bold initiatives and the excellent performance of NAB, under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd) Iqbal, with 70 percent conviction ratio in the accountability courts, should reassure the people of Pakistan that NAB is working very well to achieve its mission of ending corruption in our society. It is beyond any doubt that he has imbued a new spirit in the ranks of NAB as he has taken very bold initiatives of starting investigations to uncover corruption cases of some of the most powerful personalities in the country.

Although it is difficult to prove a white collar crime-since people involved in such crimes do not leave any documentary proof of their corruption and can also influence and bribe witnesses-the bold initiatives taken by the NAB chairman has created a fear of the accountability process in society. That is a great contribution and it would have a lasting impact to reduce corruption in the country. Therefore, it is pertinent to suggest here that the people of Pakistan should commend the performance of Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal and NAB to strengthen their hands to continue doing their job with high integrity and dedication, reinforced with further transparency to contribute towards ending corruption in Pakistan and strengthening its economy.

The writer is a former Research Fellow of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, and Senior Research Fellow of the Strategic Vision Institute (SVI), Islamabad