A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice was held under the chair of Senator Farooq H. Naek in Islamabad on Friday.
The meeting held a detailed review of NAB’s performance, powers, corruption cases, and the accountability system. NAB Chairman Lt General (r) Nazir Ahmed Butt appeared before the committee and answered the questions of the members of the body.
During the meeting, the NAB Director General (Operations) while briefing the committee, stated that NAB possesses statutory powers and is also the designated investigating agency under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010.
He said that over the past three and a half years, NAB received a budget of Rs 22.556 billion, while recoveries amounting to Rs 16.938 trillion were made. NAB Chairman Nazir Ahmed Butt stated that he assumed the responsibility in 2023 and that no one was subjected to political victimization during his tenure.
He stated that various ministers had frequently complained that the bureaucracy was afraid to make decisions, while NAB had also submitted proposals to the government regarding amendments to accountability laws. According to him, they had recommended lowering the financial threshold for initiating proceedings from Rs 500 million to Rs 150 or Rs 200 million; however, contrary to this, the threshold was raised further.
During the meeting, Senator Kamran Murtaza raised questions regarding NAB’s past performance, politically motivated cases, and effective measures against corruption.
He observed that, as an institution, NAB should have submitted written proposals to the government and clearly articulated its stance on them. In response, the NAB Chairman stated that while certain proposals were indeed submitted to the government in writing, some matters were of a sensitive nature.
Committee Chairman Farooq H. Naek stated that the primary objective of NAB is to investigate mega-corruption cases, whereas provincial anti-corruption bodies exist to handle smaller cases.
Citing alleged irregularities in major projects like Neelum-Jhelum, Naek remarked that investigating projects involving the expenditure of billions of rupees from the national exchequer is in the national interest.
During the meeting, Senator Abdul Qadir raised the issue of probe in IPP projects. The NAB Chairman stated that if the committee identifies a specific case, NAB will take action on it. Farooq Naek clarified that NAB could take action not based on the approval of a project itself, but rather if evidence of corruption emerged following that approval.
The NAB Prosecutor General also assured that action would be taken in accordance with the law on every case referred by the committee.
