Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance has reprimanded the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) president over the increasing number of complaints against the bank’s management.

The committee met at the Parliament House on Thursday, with Qaisar Ahmed Sheikh in the chair.

The committee members said that NBP President Syed Muhammad Iqbal Ashraf has imposed “martial law” in the bank, due to which the problems of the account holders, pensioners and the general public were increasing with each passing day.

The committee showed anger over the receiving of complaints from some 150 parliamentarians against the poor performance of the NBP.

During the meeting, the committee reviewed the bill for eradicating the interest from the economy, which was presented by one of the committee’s members, JI leader Sher Akbar Khan.

Finance Secretary Dr Waqar Masood informed the committee that the Supreme Court gave its verdict on the issue in 1990, which was challenged at the Federal Shariat Court and the matter was lying pending there. The finance secretary said that the government had formed a committee on the issue and the matter was under consideration, on which the mover of the bill – Sher Akbar Khan – said that the duration of the committee had ended on December 31, 2014. The secretary informed him that the duration was extended.

The standing committee kept in pending bills regarding the real estate sector, cost and management accounts and anonymous transactions.