National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Javed Iqbal said that if "[the] leader of the opposition in National Assembly can appear before the bureau then the leader of the treasury benches [prime minister] has no right to skip the NAB proceedings," according to Aaj News. The NAB chairman said this during his visit to the bureau's office in Lahore on Thursday. He rejected the impression that NAB had ever faced "pressure to deal with the ruling regime with a soft approach".

"NAB is not associated with any organisation, political party or any government," he remarked, adding that the accountability watchdog would "never take an excessive or revenge measure". The chairman added that NAB is only loyal to Pakistan and its people. "If someone has committed a crime then he will have to face the consequences. No one can stop NAB from taking legal action," he added.

He said NAB will never become a party to any National Reconciliation Ordinance. "All politicians are equal in the eyes of NAB." "NAB is the only institution which succeeded in arresting corrupt elements and recovered looted money to the tune of Rs 297 billion," the chairman said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019