ISLAMABAD: Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwala said on Sunday that the time has come for the accountability of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as the public is now laughing at Bureau’s handling of cases.

Addressing a news conference here at National Press Club, Saleem Mandviwala announced that now the Senate will investigate the NAB officers and check their degrees as the Bureau is doing injustices to the people, and that will be going to take place for the first time.

He claimed that people have died in the custody of NAB. “We will call people in the Senate Human Rights Committee then you will know what had happened to them and their families,” he added.

“All parliamentarians from the opposition and government are united to expose the NAB. I will see who stops the Senate of Pakistan from probing anything,” he claimed.

The Senate Deputy Chairman said the Senate session will be convened and the lawmakers will ask questions from NAB’s Irfan Mangi and IO Mudassar.

“I have written a letter to the Prime Minister and I will also write to the Army Chief also in this regard,” Saleem Mandviwala maintained.

The Senate Deputy Chairman said he is waging jihad against the anti-graft body. He said now he will conduct an investigation against DG Irfan Mangi as it is important to know who Mangi is and what his agenda is.

“The country cannot make progress as long as some people in the NAB continue to act as goons. The NAB is a hurdle in the way of investment in the country,” he added.

The Senate Deputy Chairman also demanded that assets of all the NAB officers should be made public.

In another presser a few days ealier, Saleem Mandviwala had blasted the NAB for accusing him of a Benami transaction and then harassing him on this pretext. He had said the transaction for which the NAB has been accusing was with the Army. “It was the land of Mangla Corps over which I and my family did a transaction with the Army and I am very proud of it,” said the Senate Deputy Chairman.

He said “Now I will not keep mum as I and my family were accused of Benami transaction. I have decided to raise the human rights violations being committed by the NAB at all the international fora.” Mandviwala said then.

“People are quitting the country due to the NAB’s actions. The Senate of Pakistan is in NAB’s grip as parliamentarians are falling prey to the Bureau,” he maintained.