Javed Iqbal denies business community’s claim about NAB

• Iqbal says the one individual had written a letter to the bureau in which he had applauded its services.
• Every person or institution can make lapses: NAB chairman.
• A four-member committee has been formed to discuss the problems of the business community and find solutions to them.

(Karachi) The chairman of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Javed Iqbal has contradicted claims that the business community recently highlighted about the accountability bureau as “baseless”.

While addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday, Javed Iqbal said that he was surprised when he learnt that one individual had expressed his reservations about NAB in the meeting between Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and business tycoons on Wednesday.

He said that a few days earlier, the same individual had written a letter to the bureau in which he had applauded its services.

The NAB chairman added that a four-member committee has been formed, the mandate for which is being determined. He said that it could be seen as an "advisory" institution that would discuss the problems of the business community and find solutions to them.

“I want to clarify that the formation of a committee doesn't mean that NAB is not an independent institution or that NAB is subservient,” he stated.

The NAB chief maintained that he would not name the businessman as he didn't want to affect anyone's image, but said that if the individual had reservations he should have shared them with the bureau.

He added that not just one business tycoon, but at least three, had written letters to the bureau in which they praised it.

He said that he would furnish the said letters if needed be. “Every person or institution can make lapses,” he said, adding that God had given humans intelligence in order to minimise the lapses.

Last week, the business community met with both the army chief and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief had told a group of businessmen that the country's "improved internal security environment" has "created space for increased economic activity".

The participants of the meeting said they hammered the point about NAB interfering in business activities.