Islamabad – Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is reportedly planning to establish two new offices in its regional formations, despite claims from an insider that the bureau’s accountability work has remained largely inactive over the past three to four years. When asked about the proposed expansion, a source within NAB responded bluntly: “It’s a total joke.”. According to the source, the registration of new cases and references has been very low, arrests of accused persons have been almost nonexistent, and convictions have also remained negligible over the past three to four years.
The source further claimed that NAB’s annual expenditure during this period has been approximately Rs25 billion to Rs30 billion. the bureau’s priorities, the source alleged that NAB has largely focused on housing societies and the recovery of state land, highlighting recoveries worth billions of rupees. The source argued that such activities resemble routine responsibilities that could be handled by a Grade-16 tehsildar rather than requiring the extensive resources of a national accountability institution.
The proposed establishment of two additional regional offices therefore comes at a time when the bureau’s spending, case registration, arrests and conviction record warrant closer examination. If an institution is spending billions of rupees annually but producing very few convictions, will opening more offices strengthen accountability or simply increase administrative expenditure?
NAB’s official response to these claims, along with verified figures for its annual expenditure, registered cases, arrests and convictions, would be necessary to establish a complete picture of its performance.
