Govt to amend NAB laws, PM Imran Khan assures Pakistani businessmen in Tashkent – Press Release

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  • Huge challenge to bring in quality CEOs for state-owned enterprises due to fear of NAB, admits PM Imran Khan. 
  • PM tells business community govt wants to remove impediments for businessmen. 
  • NAB had earlier rejected Shaukat Tarin’s statement that bureaucrats were afraid of doing their jobs due to fear of NAB. 

TASHKENT: Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday assured the Pakistani business community in Tashkent that his government was working on changing the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) laws relating to bureaucrats and businessmen. 

The prime minister was speaking to the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Business Forum where he admitted government institutions were facing a shortage of competent chief executive officers (CEOs). 

The prime minister’s statement about the amendment in NAB laws came couple of days after Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin told Geo News that the civil bureaucracy is scared of anti-graft body and the government is working to change the laws.

“When it comes to government institutions, unfortunately, it is a huge challenge to bring in quality CEOs as they fear NAB,” he said. “Hence we are working on amending NAB’s laws so that businessmen, bureaucrats are isolated,” the premier added, saying that the government will then be able to employ competent CEOs. 

The prime minister told the businessmen at the forum that the present government was committed to remove impediments in the way of various businesses and industries, including the pharmaceutical industry. 

He said Pakistan and Uzbekistan had a lot of potential for joint ventures between their private sectors for mutual benefit.

NAB rejects Shaukat Tarin’s claim of bureaucracy fearing anti-graft watchdog

On Wednesday, NAB responded to Tarin, rejecting the claim that the bureaucracy was not performing well due to fear of the anti-graft watchdog.

NAB, in a statement, had said bureaucrats should not fear the anti-graft watchdog if they are carrying out their jobs in line with the Constitution, as it slammed the “constant propaganda against” it.

The aim behind the propaganda is to “discredit NAB and discourage the bureaucracy” from doing its job, the anti-graft body said, adding: “Bureaucracy is the backbone of any country; NAB respects the bureaucracy and values ​​its services.”

Chairman NAB retired Justice Javed Iqbal is “well aware of the hurdles the bureaucracy faces” and it is “noteworthy that the anti-graft body is the only institution in the world, which has inked an MoU with China on fighting corruption”, the statement said.

“Corruption is the root of all evils. If the bureaucracy acts in accordance with the constitution, it does not need to be afraid of NAB,” it added.

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