‘NAB must not be a tool for Imran, Zardari’

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has called upon the National Accountability Bureau chairman to restrain his team from becoming a tool of Imran Khan and Asif Zardari for politically motivated accountability (of the Sharif family).

He was addressing a press conference at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat after his appearance before the NAB at its Lahore office. The CM said that the entire investigation practice was a mockery of accountability. He said a political agenda of victimisation and revenge was being pursued.

He said that he would request the NAB chief to take notice of the situation and direct those working under him to stop pursuing politically motivated actions, based only on lies. The CM said if he would be elected as prime minister in 2018, he would abolish the current system of accountability.

He said the current accountability system was based on malintent, but he would create a non-partisan, super-efficient system of accountability that would nab the real culprits and bring back the looted national money.

He said the notice issued to him by NAB and the way it was propagated all-over the print and broadcast media showed the malintent of the bureau. “It was not the mandate of NAB to publish such information,” said the chief minister. He said that although there is a precedent of written reply, “but I did not opt for that and decided that I would present myself in front of the law to respect the law of the land”.

Explaining the issue raised by NAB, he said he was accused of overstepping his authority as the chief minister, but that is not true as, according to the Rules of Business for any company or department of the government, the government has to monitor the operations of that body.

The chief minister as the head of province is the custodian of the government and, therefore, can get involved where the need may arise, he explained. The same is the case with the Punjab Land Development Company.

The chief minister said that he intervened only to save the national money by convincing the lowest bidder to bid less. “If I am charged with breach of jurisdiction for saving public money and national development, I shall do it again and again,” said the emotional CM.

Comparing the call of NAB through notice to him with the case where Arshad Waheed’s Earth Resources (Pvt) Ltd was awarded the contract for over Rs450 billion Chiniot minerals with no feasibility study and with no respect for the due process.

When the high court cancelled this contract to Arshad Waheed, citing all violations in 2010, but NAB gave a clean chit to Arshad Waheed and closed the case on May 14, 2013. The CM said cancellation of the contract to Chaudhry Latif and provision of a contract to MS Casa are two completely different scenarios. Shahbaz explained that the contract to Chaudhry Latif was not for the entire housing scheme, but for water utilities infrastructure.

The CM said the current Governor State Bank Tariq Bajwa headed a committee to investigate the issues regarding tendering of the services and construction and pointed out the issues and categorically mentioned that the Chief Minister Inspection Team (CMIT) should look into the matter.

The CM told the media how NAB wrongfully alleged that the Engineering Consultancy Services Punjab (Pvt) (ECSP) was paid Rs192 million, whereas it was paid only Rs34 million. The CM accused NAB of partisan behaviour and questioned as to why Asif Zardari was not called to explain himself while billions were plundered in the Islamabad Safe City case. Why those were not called who got billions of rupees loans written-off from banks, while the poor are deprived of every single penny.

Raising another question, he asked as to why Nandipur was awarded without any formal bidding and NAB did not take notice of it. The CM bashed the US President for calling Pakistani nation fraudulent and hit back by saying that Trump himself was fraudulent.

He said unless we stop trying to put up hurdles in the way of people who are working to build a developed country with a strong economy, Pakistan would not prosper. “We are not a sovereign state as long as we are not economically independent; we cannot make our own decisions,” he said.

Earlier, Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif appeared before the Combined Investigation Team (CIT) of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) here on Monday and recorded his statement regarding one billion rupees losses to the national exchequer in the affairs of Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC).

According to a government source, the CM appeared before the CIT at its Thokar Niaz Baig office at around 1:30pm instead of 10:30am and without any security protocol. The younger Sharif remained there till 3:30pm and responded to various queries, asked by the CIT about his certain decisions regarding the award of contracts of PLDC to various contractors.

NAB has so far calculated that due to certain decisions of the CM, the national exchequer suffered a loss of over one billion rupees. The CM also handed over documents to the CIT, sought by NAB. Source said that only a couple of his staff members and a lawyer accompanied the CM Punjab to NAB Lahore office in two private cars.

Sources said the decision about summoning Shahbaz Sharif again would be made after scrutiny of all record. NAB Lahore had summoned Shahbaz in person on Jan 16, while accusing him of causing huge financial losses to the national exchequer.

“Prima facie, Shahbaz Sharif, being the chief minister Punjab, ordered certain illegal acts in sheer violation of the PLDC rules,” NAB had stated. NAB had also claimed that due to certain alleged illegal acts of the CM Punjab including cancellation of award of contract of Aashiana-e-Iqbal to M/s Ch Latif and Sons. The contract was then awarded to M/s Lahore Casa Developers (JV). Also, the consultancy services of Aashiana project was awarded to M/s Engineering Consultancy Services Punjab (ECSP). In all these affairs, the PLDC suffered over one billion rupees losses, added the sources.

The PLDC, a few years ago, had signed an agreement with Bismillah Engineering and Sparco (front companies of Paragon Housing Society) for construction of 6,700 apartments on 1,000 kanals of land. In lieu of this construction, some 2,000 kanals were to be given to these two companies.

The land was to be given according to their construction work, but the entire land was handed over to them. Even then they failed to comply with their promises, said sources. In November last year, NAB had initiated a probe into the affairs of the PLDC and its dealing with certain construction companies after receiving a number of complaints regarding alleged illegal deals involving 3,000-kanal government land between the PLDC and the said companies.

Talking to The News on Wednesday, a spokesman for NAB Lahore said the Bureau was conducting an enquiry against the CM on merit. He said if the CM Punjab proved innocence during the probe, then the investigation against him would be closed. He, however, refused to comment on CM’s accusations against NAB after appearing before NAB.