ISLAMABAD: In a move that will prove to be controversial, the federal government is all set to end the autonomy of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and curtail the powers of the bureau’s chairman.
Sources have reliably informed Profit that the law and justice ministry has been working on paving a legal path to bring NAB under the auspices of some ministry or division. Established in 1999 NAB is an autonomous and constitutionally established federal institution with the powers of a law enforcement agency.
However, in the past few years it has been under a lot of scrutiny and attention because of the many high-profile cases they have investigated against different politicians. The bureau has also earned the ire of the business community at different points because of its investigations into different industries and private companies.
How will it play out?Â
The government is likely to give an end to the terms and conditions, pay, allowance and privileges of NAB officers. The officers and employees of NAB will get salaries in accordance with the pay, allowance and privileges as admissible to the civil servants of other occupational groups, said sources.
Sources have also said that the NAB chairman will no longer be empowered to take decisions about the bureau and its financial and administrative affairs. The chairman currently serves both as head of the institution as well as its principal accounting officer.
It is relevant to note that the salaries and special privileges of NAB officers are not in accordance with the privileges and salaries of the officials and employees of other occupational civil service groups. Moreover, the government has already appointed officials of the Police Group in the NAB on various import slots of the NAB.
According to documents, employees of NAB are governed by Terms and Conditions of Service (TCS), 2002 and that it was constituted by an Act of Parliament 1991. The purpose for which this institution was constituted requires its independence. Their employees are enjoying much higher opportunities and privileges than civil servants of various occupational groups. Further, no cogent reasons have been mentioned by the NAB which satisfies the need to declare them being only one institution as one of the Occupational Group of Civil Service.
Instead of improving the working of government institutions, successive governments are only interested in making laws so that no one in future can touch them! Dilemma of Pakistan! All elite decision makers including Politicians, Judiciary, Business and Army are equally to blame for this state we are in today.
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