‘Whether police or army be sent to bring NAB chairman in meeting’

ISLAMABAD: Convener of the Sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee Noor Alam Khan on Wednesday expressed his strong annoyance over the absence of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal from the meeting and asked for his presence in the next committee meeting.

Noor Alam Khan refused to continue the meeting in the absence of the NAB chairman and adjourned the meeting. Convener Noor Alam Khan presided over the meeting of the PAC in which the audit paras relating to NAB were to be discussed on Wednesday, but instead of NAB chairman, chief financial officer of the NAB appeared before the committee. Convener of the sub-committee of the PAC expressed his strong annoyance over the absence of the NAB chairman and questioned that when NAB chairman was supposed to attend the meeting and why he did not come. “Whether the police or army should to be sent to ensure his presence in the meeting,” he questioned.

The committee was of the view that NAB chairman being a Principal Accounting Officer (PAO) of the NAB, should have to attend the meeting for the examination of audit paras relating to the NAB. Noor Alam Khan remarked that no one was above the law and whatever cases framed against us but the NAB chairman will have to appear before the committee.

Senior PML-N leader and member PAC Khawaja Muhammad Asif remarked that the case against him was being probed in the NAB and he did not want to sit here but he was only there to fulfil the quorum of the committee. “Despite my presence, the NAB performance will not be affected,” he said.

Khawaja Asif suggested Convener Noor Alam Khan to listen the officials of the NAB who came for the meeting. However, convener sub-committee of the PAC refused to continue the meeting in the absence of the NAB chairman and adjourned the meeting.