ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Monday has claimed to have rejected a summary seeking an end to the autonomy of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
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Earlier media reports suggested that the law and justice ministry had 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.
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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.
According to information released to media today, the anti-graft watchdog had written to the Ministry of Law and Justice, asking the government to place its employees under the control of any occupational group.
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However, the Gazette of Pakistan reads “occupational Group or Service means any group or service recruitment to which is made through the competitive examination conducted by the Commission from time to time against BPS-17 posts under the Federal Government.”
The government has also rejected a recommendation to curtail the powers of the NAB chairman by placing the institution under any ministry or division.
The law ministry, in its reply, said the NAB could not be declared one of the occupational groups as it would end its autonomy.
