The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has released a list of 71 politicians, bureaucrats and public office holders currently being investigated by the anti-graft watchdog for corruption and misuse of authority.
The list includes the names of five former prime ministers: Nawaz Sharif, Shaukat Aziz, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Yousuf Raza Gilani and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
In Sindh, the NAB is investigating Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, former minister for ports and shipping Babar Khan Ghauri, former advisor to prime minister on oil and natural resources Asim Hussain, Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani, Home Minister Suhail Anwar Sial and former minister Jam Khan Shoro.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the anti-corruption watchdog is investigating 19 senior politicians, including Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) provincial president Amir Muqam, Arbab Alamgir Khan and former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani.
The NAB is probing corruption cases against 20 influential personalities in Punjab, including former chief ministers Shehbaz Sharif and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, Capt (r) Safdar and former federal minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.
Nine corruption cases are being investigated by the bureau in Balochistan. Those being probed are former chief ministers Sanaullah Khan Zehri and Aslam Khan Raisani. The names of several lawmakers and bureaucrats including Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar, Sindh MPA Nawab Taimur Talpur, DG Sindh Building Control Authority Manzoor Qadir, Senator Osman Saifullah, Principal Secretary to PM Azam Khan and Special Assistant to PM Zulfiqar Bokhari are also on the list. Earlier this month, the NAB had announced that during the last one year, it received 44,315 complaints, authorized 1,713 complaint verifications, 877 inquiries and 227 investigations, arrested 503 accused persons and recovered Rs 2.58 billion from the corrupt elements.
Published in Daily Times, October 31st 2018.
