Questions frequent change of chairmen of State Life Insurance Corporation and orders to find the reasons thereof
Orders fixing names of those responsible for not completing the project on time to punish them under the law
ISLAMABAD Jan. 22 (TNS):: National Accountability Bureau Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal taking strict notice of undue delay in the completion of 22-storey State Life Insurance Tower under construction in Islamabad has ordered immediate inquiry into the case in order to make accountable all those responsible for it and bring them to justice.
He said the delay has caused loss of billions of rupees to the national exchequer and it’s a worst example of power abuse, incompetence and negligence of duty.
He said State Life Insurance Corporation is a national institution and the policy holders deposit their life savings in it to get better profit and also want their deposits be used properly and in projects that are practicable and can be completed on time.
The chairman NAB said the initial estimated budget of the State Life Insurance Tower under construction for the last 22 years has considerably gone up and after the passage of 22 years only 19 storeys have been constructed and the remaining three storeys are still to be constructed.
He said the remaining three storeys still to be constructed will not only consume more time but will also attract more undesirable funds. “It can be described as a worst example of erroneous policy and bad governance”.
Questioning the frequent change of chairmen of the State Life Insurance Corporation he ordered to find the reasons thereof and also to fix the names of those responsible for not completing the project on time so that they can be punished under the law.
who officially assumed charge as the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), on Wednesday said that all major cases before the bureau would be taken to their logical conclusion.
He said this while informally talking to media outside the Parliament House where he was scheduled to appear before the Senate’s Standing Committee on Human Rights. He expressed the hope that all matters will be resolved smoothly. He affirmed to conclude all major cases without unnecessary delay in any of the proceedings.
“It is not new for me to face challenges,” he commented.
The NAB chairman did not name the cases against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family but said that all the cases would be followed as per law and no delay would be tolerated. He added that cases against politicians would be dealt on merit.
Iqbal said he would complete all the major corruption cases in the same way as he had completed the report regarding the Abbottabad Inquiry Commission. It is up to the government to release it, he added.
The NAB chairman further apprised that he will continue to head the Missing Persons Commission as its final report is in the last phase, and will leave the commission once the report has been concluded.
Responding to questions, the new NAB chairman said he had briefed the then prime minister about the Abbottabad Commission report but perhaps he did not pay due attention to it, he added.
Earlier, when Iqbal reached NAB headquarters on Wednesday morning to formally assume charge as head of the federal anti-graft body, he was received by Deputy Chairman NAB and other officers.
Assigning the officials their first task, the new NAB chief asked for the details of all outstanding cases, references and records.
Speaking to the Senate committee, headed by Senator Nasreen Jalil, later in the day, Iqbal said that he has given importance to the parliament and the constitution all his life.
He said the Balochistan missing persons’ numbers have been exaggerated.
Iqbal informed the Senate body that several foreign agencies and non-state actors were active in Balochistan.
He also said that the illegal confinement of people is unacceptable and that Pakistan is not a banana republic where people can go missing.
