After two years of investigation, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has absolved the controversial housing project Naya Naziamabad, worth over Rs100 billion- after ardently pursuing them to be nothing less than guilty only a few months ago.
The Bureau had launched an inquiry against the housing project and Sindh Revenue Department on a complaint of a human right activist, Syed Haroon, who claimed that hundreds of acres of land was illegally occupied by the developer, calling it an “illegal project that was launched in a polluted and environmentally misfit area for a housing scheme”. Haroon has severely criticized the result of this investigation, also pointing out that the Bureau did not allow him to enter the office afterwards, nor gave any response regarding his documents. In response, NAB has issued a statement claiming that they have always played their role against corrupt practices and corruption in society.
However, given their dubious history regarding cases, this is another one that we must take with a pinch of salt.
NAB has a rocky history with land cases. Despite four-and-a-half years elapsing, they failed to investigate the embezzlement of billions of rupees by a Pakistan mission in Japan and Indonesia- the Embassies at the relevant time, misappropriating huge amounts in the sale of Pakistani property. The case regarding this housing scheme had inquiries made on charges of corruption, corrupt practices, illegal allotment of government lands and misuse of authority, a law officer of the bureau told the Sindh High Court in August. With NAB, not being able to give a verdict regarding cases pending for almost three decades, it is quite incredible that this case was sorted in a matter of months. NAB investigations are often heard of when launched, but never seen completed. This one perhaps, shows how housing scheme contracts in Pakistan are rapidly being granted to the powerful, with no regards for transparent urban planning and environmental costs.