NAB creating circumstances that are damaging country: Pak PM

Pakistan's anti-graft body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), established by a dictator to "pressurise" politicians, is creating circumstances that are "damaging" the country, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said.

Abbasi's remarks came days after NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal ordered a probe against the embattled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for allegedly laundering USD 4.9 billion to India.

The NAB, in a press release on May 8, had said that its Chairman had taken notice of media reports claiming that the former premier allegedly laundered USD 4.9 billion to India. The media reports had cited a purported report of the World Bank, which it later denied as "incorrect".

Sharif, 68, later slammed the NAB chairman for failure on his part to probe the report at internal level before going public with it. He also slapped a legal notice to NAB chairman demanding an apology for his "insulting" press release and pay Rs 1 billion as damages within the next 14 days.

Abbasi also said that there was a need for a national dialogue, that whatever the NAB was doing whether it is in the nation's interest.

"The anti-graft body was established by a dictator to pressurise politicians, who want to disband the NAB through consensus. It should be pondered over in the (national) dialogue whether it is in interest of the country whatever the NAB has been doing," Abbasi told Geo TV yesterday, attacking the anti-graft body.

The NAB was established by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who established it in the late 90s.

"The circumstances created by the NAB at present have been causing damage to the country," the Prime Minister said.

Abbasi also hailed Sharif as a leader who was ready to go to the prison for the sake of his principles.

Speaking about the National Security Committee meeting, which was called soon after Sharif's statement on the 2008 Mumbai attack, he said it was necessary to put an end to the situation after the statement by PML-N supremo.

For the first time, Sharif, in an interview to the Dawn newspaper, had publicly acknowledged that militant organisations were active in Pakistan and questioned the policy to allow the "non-state actors" to cross the border and "kill" people in Mumbai.

Sharif, 68, was disqualified as prime minister in the Panama Papers case by the Supreme Court in July last. Subsequently, he was handed down life ban for parliamentary politics. He along with his children is facing three corruption cases on money laundering and possessing huge assets abroad, by the NAB.