LAHORE
\nFormer prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Sunday lashed out at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and branded it a \u201ctool to convert people into turncoats\u201d.
\nAddressing the Asma Jahangir Conference in Lahore, the PML-N leader gave a speech detailing his grievances against the watchdog and held it responsible for a series of ailments plaguing the country.
\nDuring his speech, Abbasi said that in one of the cases filed against him the chargesheet was 35 pages-long, while the NAB reference was 19 pages-long. \u201cYou can write anything in any chargesheet […]. What are we doing, where are we going?\u201d
\nLamenting the country\u2019s current situation, he continued that the law required him to maintain financial records for the last seven years. However, he was being accused of something that occurred 35 years ago, he said.
\n\u201cIf you accuse me of something, then you also need to give the record for [the last] 35 years. I definitely cannot. I am all for accountability … [but] NAB is not accountability,\u201d he said, accusing the anti-graft watchdog of being a tool to carry out political engineering.
\n\u201cIf you want accountability of politicians, it is very simple. The whole world does it. You don\u2019t need special laws, it\u2019s about tax laws.\u201d
\nThe PML-N leader stated that those who impose taxes on the people of Pakistan should give details of their own assets and answer for their own lifestyles.
\n\u201cIf members of parliament walk out to [sit in] a vehicle that costs Rs30-60 million, go to their Rs500m home [with a] monthly electricity bill of 0.2m. And they pay no taxes, what does that tell you?
\n\u201cThat\u2019s a corrupt politician. Why don\u2019t we go after them? Let us start with the president of Pakistan. Let the prime minister be next, followed by the leader of the opposition.
\n\u201cAsk them this basic question: how do you justify your lifestyle?\u201d
\nThe PML-N leader stated that the anti-graft watchdog was now solely about \u201cvictimisation\u201d, the price of which was being borne by the people of the country.
\nHe said that when NAB was established in 2000, Pakistan had a per capita income of $576, which has since risen to $1,190. \u201cBangladesh was at $358 and now they are at $2,097 while India has risen to $1,900 from $443.\u201d
\nHe continued that accountability and electoral laws could only be amended through consensus. He lamented the fact that when the opposition presented amendments to the laws, they were later disregarded and branded by the government as an attempt to seek an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance).
\nAbbasi also drew attention to the \u201cnegative impact\u201d NAB cases can have on an individual.
\n\u201cDoes anybody care about people who are accused by NAB? Does anybody care about their families? Do you know that they can\u2019t operate their accounts, businesses or apply for bank loans? There is a big human cost that is paid here.\u201d
\nHe stated that public figures were the only ones subjected to the accountability process every five years and called for having transparent investigations into such allegations.
\n\u201cInstall cameras in court rooms and investigation rooms. Accuse me in front of the people,\u201d he said, calling the bureau \u201ca tool to convert people into turncoats and to sell their souls\u201d.
\nAbbasi said that tax laws should be used to disqualify politicians, or use Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution against them.
\n\u201cAnybody who is not paying taxes is committing a crime against the country,\u201d he said, adding that most citizens think that paying taxes is \u201coptional\u201d.
\nRecounting the process of legislating on the issue of appointing judges, he said that he had moved an amendment which stated that anyone wishing to become a judge should present his tax history for the last 10 years.
\n\u201cYou\u2019d be surprised at how many people who have not paid taxes became judges.\u201d He added that those judges who were unable to do so were either not technically qualified to be judges or had hidden their income.
\n\u201cAre they qualified to judge me tomorrow?\u201d he asked<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Sunday lashed out at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and branded it a \u201ctool to convert people into turncoats\u201d. Addressing the Asma Jahangir Conference in Lahore, the PML-N leader gave a speech detailing his grievances against the watchdog and held it responsible for a series of ailments […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228684,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,362,557,558],"class_list":{"0":"post-228673","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-nab","9":"tag-pmln","10":"tag-shahid-khaqan-abbasi","11":"tag-turncoats"},"yoast_head":"\n