NAB grills Ahsan Iqbal

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Wednesday grilled Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal in Narowal Sports City Project (NSCP) case. The anti-graft body summoned Iqbal to appear before it for recording his statement with respect to an ongoing inquiry into the NSCP case. The NAB investigators probed him for over one hour and also handed over him a questionnaire regarding the case.
The NAB high-ups had ordered complaint verification of the alleged misappropriation of government funds in construction of the NSCP in May last year.
While talking to media persons outside the NAB office, the PML-N leader said that the Bureau summoned him to investigate the NSCP case but they did not ask him any question about misappropriation of funds. "Most of the questions asked by the investigators were related to managerial issues," he said, adding that he will be responsible if any wrongdoing had happened in the same project.
He said that the Sport City built in his constituency was constructed according to international standards to promote sports in the country. "As many as 90 percent work of the project has been completed but the work was stopped due to the ongoing inquiry," he said, adding that inquiry regarding the project has been launched on the basis of a baseless complaint. He strongly condemned the arrest of PML-N leader Rana Sanullah. "All facilities which have been provided to other important personalities should also be provided to Sanaullah in jail," he added.
The PML-N leader said that the opposition parties will not bow down before the cheap tactics used by the present government. "We are not afraid of arrests and threats," he added. Iqbal said that the meeting of Rehbar Committee constituted by the opposition parties would be held in the next few days and efforts would be made to develop consensus on dethroning Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani from his post.
He said that an inquiry should be initiated into Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, as it had been started off with a cost of Rs 30 billion but its cost has now crossed Rs 100 billion.
Iqbal is accused of starting the project, costing Rs 3 billion, illegally. The Pakistan Sports Board (PCB) is also accused of illegally using its authority for construction of this project.
The NAB chairman in May 2018 had ordered to verify complaints of the alleged misappropriation of government funds in construction of the NSCP. The Bureau elaborated that the chairman took notice of the matter as rules were violated in the construction of the sports city, and there was also an issue of security, as the 44-acre Sports City is being built just 800 metres away from the Indian border.