20000128

Fresh round of crackdown to hit actual targets: Amjad

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Chairman Lt. Gen. Syed Mohammad Amjad here on Thursday said that crackdown against the corrupt would be launched soon.

In his special remarks, during the first session of a seminar on "Accountability, Devolution and Political Reforms" organised by daily The News, the NAB chairman said: "Certain actions will be taken to show results by hitting the actual targets to address desire of the common man."

There are a lot of things in the pipeline and the results would soon be coming to the fore, he said, adding that despite various problems hectic efforts were in the offing to come up to the expectations of the common man.

Referring to the short period given to NAB for taking action against the corrupt, he said during the last three months all possible steps were taken to arrest the corrupt and those who had swellowed the national wealth.

Quoting an example, he said, the task of accountability in Korea took 14 months to materialise while in Pakistan the same job has been initiated within a shortest period of time.

However, he said accountability being a continuous process, research and development was being carried out to overcome the shortfall and lacuna in mechanism.

He said the real task is to launch a process, which he termed a "hard task to perform". Supplementing this stance he said: "The real art is how you allay the forces."

Talking about transparency of the accountability process he said: "So far, what happened and happening is already in everyones knowledge."

Accountability, he said being an on-going process would help check corruption.

While giving his personal viewpoint on elimination of corruption, Lt. Gen. Syed Mohamad Amjad said that a common man should be facilitated to the maximum in day-to-day affairs so that he might not need to grease the palm.

On NAB Ordinane Provision to detain an accused for 90 days, he said it was not a long period for the purpose of completing formalities like investigation and study.

He clarified that NAB being an investigating organisation had to complete the whole process against an accused after his arrest during 90 days which was specified under the ordinance.

Answering a question regarding detention of an accused in the police station lock-up instead of judicial lock-up the NAB chairman said, this practice saved time and ultimately helped in completing investigations within the specified time period.

Jamaata-e-Islami Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed speaking on the occasion underlined the need for having across the board accountability.

He said accountability processed be made a continuous process to uproot corrupt practices, especially from the government offices.

ANP leader Asfandyar Wali, criticised the PML regime for holding "partial accountability" which brought bad name to the politicians.

He said the difference between "accountability" and "victimisation" should be maintained at all costs.

PPP leader and former federal minister Aitzaz Ahsan said "just, fair, open, transparent and independent process of accountability was need of the hour."

PML leader and former federal minister Gohar Ayub Khan said "former Ehtesab Bureau was one-sided as the people to run it were picked up from only one party ÑÊPML".

A human rights activist Asma Jehangir highlighted the need for establishing a "truth Commission."

A journalist-turned politician Hussain Haqqani said, accountability be made base for the dispensation of justice and people should be held responsible for their wrong deeds.

Earlier, in his introductory remarks daily The News Current Affairs Editor Imtiaz Alam said that the crisis of national survival was not only multi-faceted, but was also misdirected from the path of the Founder of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah had set before the nation. APP