Lieutenant General (retd) Nazir Ahmed Butt, the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), recently visited the grave of brigadier (retd) Asad Munir, who had taken his own life several years ago.
Asad, a retired brigadier known for his integrity, had pointed to harassment by NAB as the sole reason for his suicide in his note which he wrote before taking his own life, hoping to prevent others from enduring similar treatment “for the crimes they had not committed”.
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Three years after his death, an accountability court acquitted Asad.
Last month, a representative from the Nazir’s office contacted Asad’s widow, Saeeda, and sought permission for his superior to visit her. She declined to meet with the NAB chairman but he insisted.
Butt had been intrigued by Asad’s suicide note and, while he wanted to express his condolences to Saeeda, he also wanted to know more about his last note. In response, the family agreed to meet.
Nazir told Saeeda and Asad’s brother, Khalid, that the NAB was in the process of drafting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for investigating government officers.
He also wanted to learn what Asad went through, so that it was not repeated.
He was also keen to know why NAB went after Asad without a solid reason. The family was not very aware of the motives.
Saeeda, who was initially reluctant to meet him, was appreciative of his gesture. “I found him to be a very nice person,” she said.
The NAB chairman also wanted to visit several other “victims” of the accountability organisation with Asad’s family being the only one he has visited so far.
Three days later, he visited Asad’s grave in a graveyard located in Islamabad’s Sector H-8.
