NAB reviews its awareness, enforcement policy

ISLAMABAD: Chairman, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal Thursday reviewed latest progress on NAB’s awareness, prevention and enforcement policy on ”Our Faith-Corruption Free Pakistan” at NAB headquarters.

Speaking on the occasion Chairman NAB said that NAB was mandated to carry out Awareness and Prevention functions against corruption in pursuance of Section 33C of National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), said a press release.

He said that NAB’s awareness, prevention and enforcement policy on “Our Faith-Corruption Free Pakistan” remained very successful till to-date in order to aware people about ill effects of corruption.

Under the policy, NAB has been engaging different Governmental, Non-Governmental Organizations, media, Civil Society and other segments of society to join hands with NAB’s awareness and prevention efforts in order to aware people especially students in Universities/Colleges at an early age.

He said as per the positive feedback received from various segments of society, NAB’s awareness and prevention efforts had been effectively highlighted by NAB’s media wing free of cost in print, electronic and social media throughout the country which had appreciated by all segments of society.

He said that the present management of NAB had taken various measures to check corruption and to nab corrupt elements, proclaimed offenders and absconders.

He said that NAB’s top most priority was to eradicate corruption from Pakistan by using all its resources. He said that due to NAB’s proactive anti-corruption strategy “Accountability for All” today, NAB had become a vibrant and reputable organization. Reports and Surveys of different reputable national and international organizations like PILDAT, Mishal Pakistan, Transparency International, World Economic Forum and Gallup and Gilani recent survey in which 59 percent people have shown their confidence on NAB’s performance, testifies people's confidence and trust over NAB’s performance across the board as per law.

NAB had not only opened its door for citizens' corruption related complaints but received not only 44315 complaints which were thoroughly scrutinized in complaints scrutiny committees but on the basis of prima ficia evidence, 1713 complaints converted into complaint verifications which were again scrutinized and after obtaining point of view of all concerned, converted into 877 inquiries and subsequently 227 investigations were ungraded.

On the basis of across the board accountability, NAB had not only filed 600 corruption reference during the tenure of present management of NAB but also recovered Rs. 4300 million from corrupt elements which was record achievement.

The recovery made by NAB was then returned to thousands of effectees and some government departments but not a single rupee had been received by any NAB employee as they consider their duty as national service. In order to address problems of business community, NAB has established a separate cell at NAB Headquarters and a Director has been made head of that cell.

He said that NAB had established 60 Prevention Committees throughout the country in order to identify loopholes and suggest ways and means in consultation with concerned departments to ease out their service delivery systems in order to address the problems of people at large which proved very successful in identifying loopholes and thus their solutions with consultation. Due to NAB’s efforts and coordination with various public government departments, service delivery especially one window operations of CDA and ICT have been improving gradually.

The Chairman NAB said that youth was our future. In order to aware youth about the ill effects of corruption, we have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with HEC to students in colleges/universities throughout the country to create awareness against corruption as youths are considered a vanguard in this fight. NAB has emphasized on the character building of youth.

The concept of establishment of Character Building Societies (CBS) in colleges and universities remained also very successful and more than 50 thousands Character Building Societies (CBS) in colleges/universities have been established.

Chairman NAB had reiterated his firm resolve to eradicate corruption from country with iron hands for corruption free Pakistan.

He hoped that collected efforts of all stakeholders could materialize this dream of corruption free Pakistan into reality.