NAB itself deserves to be held accountable, says Khaqan Abbasi

Former prime minister and senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Tuesday that National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the department tasked with holding ‘corrupt’ people accountable, itself needed to be taken to the task for its actions, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Talking to the media outside an accountability court in Islamabad where he had gone in connection with the hearing of LNG reference filed against him, he said, “Look what this country’s finance minister has said. He has said Pakistan could have earned 33 per cent more money if the LNG terminals had been allowed to operate.”

But since, he added, work on these terminals had been stopped citing corruption charges, therefore Pakistan now stood deprived of a huge sum. “NAB Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal is now 76 years old. But the government still thinks his performance is good, and therefore seeking extension in his tenure,” Abbasi taunted.

“It seems the government wants him to remain the Bureau chairman for 80 years,” the PML-N leader commented.

He negated reports that the government had consulted Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif for extending the tenure of the NAB chairman. “What the world will say about the country where legislation is done to gag media,” he regretted.