Former President Pervez Musharraf has said that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has now become a mature institution and the federal government should not intervene in the operational mechanisms of the bureau. He was responding to queries of newsmen on the inaugural ceremony of the Pakistan First Initiative (PFI), a civil society forum here at a hotel. The PFI was inaugurated in Karachi by Musharraf who is also the patron of the organisation.
"The government should let the NAB function independently," he said On this occasion, Musharraf addressed the members of the Council of Professionals of the PFI, and dilated upon the rationale for the creation of the Pakistan First Initiative, its aims and objects, and the methodology to be followed by the PFI.
The PFI's Council of Professionals comprises achievers in a wide variety of fields related directly or indirectly to governance, including leading professionals, top security and foreign policy experts, social scientists, economists, educationists and experts from other sectors of national importance from across the country. The Governing Board of the Pakistan First Initiative includes Lieutenant General Tanwir Naqvi (r) as Chairman, Ambassador Attiya Mahmood as CEO, Brigadier Akhtar Zamin (r), Engr. Hidayatulla K. Khaishgi and Syed Jawaid Iqbal.
Addressing the Council of Professionals, Musharraf stated that it was an honour for him to lead the Pakistan First Initiative, because he had always held the interest of Pakistan close to his heart; and that Pakistan can truly progress only if the people at large sincerely believe in the dictum 'Pakistan First', and every element of the state pursues it with enthusiasm.
Dilating upon the conceptual foundation of the PFI, Musharraf emphasised that the Pakistan First Initiative will be a forum for organising symposiums at least once a quarter, on subjects related to structures and systems of governance, and policies concerning the security, development and prosperity of Pakistan. The Initiative will crystallize thought, formulate proposals, and disseminate ideas for the benefit of Pakistan's civil society and possible adoption by governments.
In response to a question, Musharraf explained that the Council of Professionals includes individuals who have served Pakistan with great distinction; and that these professionals would form the nucleus of the audience for the symposiums that the PFI will organise. Answering another question, he said that the PFI is a totally non-political initiative; and that he expects the symposiums to focus the attention of the electronic as well as print media on subjects of a more fundamental nature related to governance, as opposed to discussions concerning personalities.
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