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ISLAMABAD: An over Rs100 million residential plot being allotted by the government to incumbent Chairman NAB Admiral (retd) Fasih Bukhari in a posh sector of Islamabad is in recognition of his extraordinary role of protecting the corrupt in the government.
The NAB on Monday tried to dispel the impression that this bounty at the cost of state resources is being showered on the tamed chairman NAB Fasih Bukhari for any wrong reasons. NAB through a clarification issued claimed that Bukhari was deprived of his right to get such a residential plot upon his retirement as naval chief in 1998-99.
The facts, however, belie the chairman NAB's claim as he was not deprived of any such benefit. Instead it was due to the introduction of a new policy by the then government of Nawaz Sharif that the services chiefs, top generals and others would not be entitled to additional residential plots and duty free cars.
Bukhari's successor and former Naval Chief Admiral (retd) Aziz Mirza told The News that the last Nawaz Sharif government had done away with the policy of offering such plots and duty free cars to services chiefs and others owing to which no services chiefs got such benefits.
While Bukhari through a NAB press release issued a rejoinder to the exclusive story on the subject by Jang's senior reporter Rana Ghulam Qadir, to give the impression that he was entitled to get an additional plot for being naval chief but had been deprived of the same.
The NAB press release added that since Bukhari refused to become part of the former dictator General Musharraf's regime so he did not deem it appropriate to apply for the provision of the plot as a matter of his privilege. It added that now during the present regime and in response to Bukhari's application, the government offered him a 2,500 square metre plot (estimated cost over Rs200 million) but the chairman NAB remained content with 1,066 square metre plot (estimated worth over Rs100 million).
The NAB release added that this plot is below Bukhari's privilege and is being offered to him after a lapse of 12 long years. The NAB press release added that Bukhari has been deprived of reasonable profits that he could have earned had he been given the plot in 1999.
Bukhari's successor in the Pakistan Navy and former Naval Chief Admiral (retd) Aziz Mirza when approached told The News that it was the change of policy which resulted in the discontinuation of additional residential plot as well as the provision of duty free car to services chief.
Mirza said that Admiral Mansoorul Haq was the last naval chief to have benefitted from the policy done away by Nawaz Sharif government to end VIP culture. He said that Fasih Bukhari was not allotted plot because of the same policy change of the Sharif government.
He said that he and even his successors did not receive any such plot because of the same policy change. Mirza said that during Shaukat Aziz’s tenure as prime minister the federal secretaries started getting additional plots but he was not sure if the pre-1999 policy of additional benefits was ever revived for services chiefs or not.
Sources in the government confirm that the government is showering this special bounty on the NAB chairman as he has done extraordinary work so far to perform to the utmost satisfaction of the rulers.
The integrity and credibility of Bukhari has however been already exposed by no one else than the widely respected Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan. The SC has already remanded Bukhari for his inaction against the corrupt in the ruling elite. The SC instead said that he was shielding the corrupt.
In its order of January 10, the SC had ruled, "It is a statutory duty of the Chairman, National Accountability Bureau under the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 to proceed against any person who, prima facie, is involved in misuse of authority while holding a public office. On the last date of hearing, i.e. 03.01.2012 this Court had directed the Chairman to attend to the matters of appointment of Adnan Khawaja as Managing Director of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) against merit and appointment/promotion of Ahmed Riaz Sheikh as Additional Director, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) at a time when both of them were convicted persons and to proceed against all those who were responsible for such appointments/promotion. The chairman has also failed so far to initiate any action against Malik Muhammad Qayyum, former attorney general for Pakistan, in view of the direction issued in that regard in the judgment passed in the case of Dr Mobashir Hassan (supra), as modified in review to his extent.
Today the chairman has appeared before this Court in person and he has not only failed to advance any satisfactory explanation for his inaction in the above mentioned cases but has also manifested defiance towards this Court by categorically refusing to carry out the earlier directions issued by this Court qua proceeding in the matter of the above mentioned persons. Such inaction on his part in derogation of his statutory duty prima facie amounts to misconduct attracting the last part of section 6(b)(i) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 dealing with removal of the Chairman from his office. Apart from that we have gathered an impression that he has attempted to screen, shield and protect the relevant persons from criminal charges which may attract consequences in some criminal and other laws. In these circumstances appropriate recommendations or directions may be made or issued by this Court in such regards.
"Toeing the government line, the NAB under Bukhari is not only clearing all government influentials from NRO cases but is also reluctantly and half heartedly pursuing investigations into the present regime's serious cases of corruption and misrule.
Only of late the Supreme Court directed the NAB chairman to proceed against the responsible persons involved in the Rental Power Project scam involving corruption of billions of rupees. However, the NAB has yet to arrest any one.
In its order on RPPs, the SC directed, "(ix) All the Government functionaries, including the Ministers for Water & Power holding charge in 2006 and onward and from 2008 to onward, during whose tenure the RPPs were approved/set up and minister as well as secretary finance holding the charge when the down payment was increased from 7% to 14%, prima facie, violated the principle of transparency under Articles 9 & 24 of the Constitution and section 7 of the Act, 1997, therefore, their involvement in getting financial benefits out of the same by indulging in corruption and corrupt practices cannot be overruled in view of the discussion made hereinabove. Consequently, they are liable to be dealt with under the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 by the NAB;
(x) All the functionaries of Pepco, Gencos, PPIB and Nepra along with sponsors (successful bidders) who had derived financial benefits from the RPP contracts are, prima facie, involved in corruption and corrupt practices, therefore, they are also liable both for the civil and criminal action; and
(xi) The Chairman NAB is directed to proceed against all the persons referred to in subparagraphs (iii), (ix) & (x) above forthwith in accordance with law and submit fortnightly progress report to Registrar for our perusal in Chambers."
NAB chief rewarded for toeing govt line - thenews.com.pk
