Rs500m | Pakistan

• Tells Senate panel bureau’s hands are tied under amended law to act against govt officials • Says private sector accounts for 45pc of corruption ISLAMABAD: The National Account­abi­lity Bureau (NAB) on Friday urged the government to withdraw a restriction that prevents it from taking action against government officials accused of corruption involving less than Rs500 million. “Untie our hands and withdraw the Rs500m restriction; otherwise, people [government officials] will become addicted to committing corruption,” NAB Chairman retired Lt Gen Nazir Ahmed said during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice. Under the amended NAB law, the anti-graft watchdog cannot take up cases involving amounts below Rs500m. As a result, a large number of cases it had been pursuing were transferred to other departments, such as the Federal Investigation Agency. Mr Ahmed said that because of the restriction, a station house officer (SHO) of the police enjoyed more powers than a NAB investigation officer...

The provincial government on Monday released Rs800 million in relief funds for all affected districts, with an additional Rs 500m specifically for worst-hit Buner, as flash floods continue to ravage Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the death toll at 341. The recent catastrophic floods in KP have claimed at least 341 lives as of data from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Monday at 7pm and injured 178 people. Meanwhile, data from the National Disaster Management Authority showed the nationwide toll from rain-related incidents since late-June rose to 660 deaths and 935 injured. The KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Monday announced Rs800m in relief funds to the administrations of affected districts on the instructions of the provincial government. A separate relief fund of Rs500m has been earmarked for Buner district, which accounts for the majority of casualties with 222 deaths and 120 injuries, according to a PDMA report released today. Buner was followed by Shangla, with 36 death...