PESHAWAR: Responding to the criticism, the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal on Thursday said that the bureau will continue to probe corruption cases by exercising  its assigned legal powers.

In his Peshawar speech, the incumbent NAB chairman defended his department's conduct and vowed to continue all its assigned legal powers to work for the benefit of the country as usual even if some find that upsetting, adding that It’s not a crime to make queries about when and how corruption was done.

The chairman said no one is above the law, and the people who think they are beyond reproach are wrong. “NAB does not need to offer any explanation. No matter who is insulting us, the bureau will exercise its legal powers,” he added.

Addressing a the cheque distribution ceremony, held in Peshawar, Javed Iqbal said; “I am glad to be here  to return the money looted from poor people, adding that every province has its own version of scammers such as ‘Double Shah’. He urged the people to carefully invest in such schemes.

“Let me tell you that the bureaucracy is faithful to the state.  Governments come and go but the bureaucracy takes  its every step in the national interest. If you are working sincerely, NAB is with you. All your actions must support the state instead of the governments,” he said.

The NAB has been facing  criticism since  it took notice of a  newspaper article, and said it will investigate whether former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was involved in sending $4.9 billion to India.

Earlier in a presser, deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif had asked  the NAB chairman to either give proof of the "shameless" allegations against the PML-N supremo within 24 hours or apologize to the nation and quit his post.