LAHORE: In a major reshuffle in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Chairman NAB Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal has transferred and posted Maj (Retd) Shahzad Saleem as Director-General Lahore again, replacing the incumbent Jamil Ahmad.

The incumbent DG NAB Lahore Jamil Ahmad has been transferred and posted as Director Awareness and Prevention Division at the NAB (HQ), Islamabad. Mr Ahmed, a former federal secretary with experience of serving on a number of key positions, was inducted into the bureau about a few months back.

A few months back, Shahzad Saleem was transferred and posted as Director Awareness and Prevention Division at the NAB (HQ), Islamabad but he had gone on leaves.

Appointment of Shahzad Saleem as DG NAB Lahore could be termed as the most significant development after a change of regime at the federal capital since Imran Khan was ousted from the office of Prime Minister through a successful vote of no-confidence motion at the National Assembly on April 10. It is learnt that Shahzad Saleem and his Lahore Bureau would go hard on political opponents of the ruling party as they have been tasked to investigate bigwigs of the PTI for alleged corruption and corrupt practices.

Earlier, being DG NAB Lahore, Shahzad Saleem had remained in the headlines in recent past for proactively pursuing alleged corruption cases of former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, his brother and incumbent PM Shehbaz Sharif and their family members.

According to the official record of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), it had investigated more than 250 MPs since 2017 and filed as many as 513 references, investigations, inquiries and complaints involving an alleged loss of nearly Rs700 billion to the national exchequer.

The NAB had started nearly 450 inquiries against 210 leaders of the opposition political parties including 86 against sitting/ex-MPs of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), 62 against Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) MPs, eight against Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) MPs, Pakistan Muslim League-Q’s (PML-Q) MPs and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s (JUI-F) MPs each, one against Pakistan Muslim League’s Zia (PML-Zia) MP, Pakhtunkhawa Milli Awami Party’s (Pk-MAP) MP, Qaumi Watan Party’s MP, Balochistan National Party’s (BNP) MP each, six against Awami National Party’s (ANP) MPs and three inquires against National Party’s (NP) MPs.

The Bureau had started around 50 inquiries against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) MPs during this period as well.

The NAB had arrested 17 key leaders of PMLN, including former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif, Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz, eight leaders of PPP, including Asif Zardari, Faryal Talpur, Agha Siraj Durrani, Sharjeel Memon and Syed Khursheed Shah. Similarly, two leaders of PTI namely Aleem Khan and Sibtain Khan were also arrested during this period.

According to a NAB spokesman, appointment of Shahzad Saleem as DG NAB Lahore was purely based on his matchless performance as DG NAB Lahore from April 2017 till December 2021.

During the 4 year tenure of DG NAB Lahore, a total of Rs 14.6 billion were recovered from the accused under plea bargain whereas during the last 16 years (2016-2000) a total of 17.7 billion were recovered as plea bargain and voluntary return.

He further said during Shahzad Saleem’s tenure (April 2017 to December 2021) a total of Rs 80.855 billion indirect recoveries were made whereas in the last 16 years, a total of 23.17 billion indirect recoveries could be made.

During the tenure of DG NAB Lahore, NAB Lahore arrested 708 accused whereas since the inception of the Bureau from 2000 to 2016, NAB Lahore could arrest as many as 1073 accused persons.

Similarly, the spokesman added, during the tenure of Shahzad Saleem, references worth Rs. 84.5 billion were filed in the accountability courts whereas from 2000 till 2016, references worth Rs 53.08 billion were filed in the accountability courts.

According to the spokesman, under the command of Shahzad Saleem, the convocation rate of NAB Lahore was 74% in 2021, 78% in 2020, 70% in 2019, 83% in 2018 and 72% in 2017.