ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has criticised the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for its lack of “professional expertise to deal with white-collar crime and abuse of arrest powers detrimental to the economy, investment policies and foreign policy interests of the Pakistani state”.
In a detailed judgement on the 4G licencing case, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that the incompetence, lack of professional expertise and proper training to deal with white-collar crime, besides jeopardizing constitutional rights, can have deleterious consequences for the governance system.
The judgement stressed that an effective and efficient accountability process or mechanism is an integral part of a democratic system and a precondition for upholding the rule of law.
But, the foundational principle or requirement for an effective and credible accountability entity, such as the bureau, is the trust and confidence of the people in its fairness, impartiality, professionalism and, above all, that it is free from discrimination.
“Arbitrary or indiscriminate exercise of executive powers vested in such entities, instead of achieving the public interest for which it has been established, could greatly harm other public interests,” the court said.
Therefore, “across the board accountability in a transparent manner and free from discrimination and arbitrary exercise of powers is inevitable to meet the challenges faced due to the menace of corruption,” IHC said.
