Anti-corruption watchdog NAB will investigate the former military ruler over “wrongful use of power” Musharraf’s financial assets in Pakistan and abroad, including Dubai and the UK, will be included in the probe ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf will face an investigation into his alleged involvement in the secret handing over of more than 4,000 Pakistanis to Western powers. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday approved the inquiry against the former dictator and army chief over multiple allegations involving “wrongful use of power” and “holding assets beyond means.” The decision follows the statement last week by Justice (retired) Javed Iqbal, chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances and the NAB chief, that as many as 4,000 Pakistanis were “secretly handed over” to foreign countries during Musharraf’s rule from 2001 to 2008. Iqbal made the claim while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights. “How could someone secretly hand over Pakistani nationals to another country?” he asked. He described the actions as illegal, unlawful and a violation of human rights. Claims that Musharraf holds assets beyond his declared income source and that the former president and army chief had misused his power were leveled by a retired military lawyer Lt. Col. Inamur Rahim. In 20145, Rahim filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court to order the NAB to investigate Musharraf. Rahim claimed that during his nine-year rule Musharraf violated his oath to defend Pakistan and protect its people by selling Pakistanis for profit to Western countries under the pretext of fighting terrorism. Musharraf had acknowledged the violations in his memoir “In the Line of Fire,” Rahim said. However, Mahreen Malik Adam, a spokesman for Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), told Arab News that the assertions were “baseless” and “exaggerated.” The extraditions involved foreign terrorists, not Pakistanis, Adam said. Musharraf also faces multiple charges of corruption for giving land to high-ranking army officers. The APML spokesperson said the party would challenge the allegations. It is unclear whether Musharraf, who now lives in the UAE, will return to Pakistan to take part in campaigns for the 2018 general elections. In a statement to Arab News, the NAB said it had also ordered inquiries against former and current officials of the Capital Development Authority, Federal Bureau of Revenue, Pakistan Housing Authority, a Pakistani diplomat and a prominent leader of Pakistan Muslim League.