ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court was informed on Thursday that the president had reappointed Justice (r) Syed Deedar Hussain Shah as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman on the amended summary forwarded by the prime minister. A four-member bench of Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa was hearing identical petitions challenging the appointment of Justice (r) Deedar Hussain as the NAB chairman.
Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, lawyer for the federal government, told the court that the prime minister, after making changes in first summary, had resent his advice and the president had appointed Justice (r) Syed Deedar Hussain Shah as the NAB chairman after that. “How could a new notification be issued when the first one was not cancelled?” Justice Khosa inquired, adding that when there was no post vacant how could the appointment be made.
Pirzada said the first notification had been cancelled and both notifications were in the printing press and would be issued soon. The court then directed Pirzada to produce before the court record of the new summary and its notification by February 28. Shahid Orakzai, another petitioner, told the court that NAB chairman was appointed for non-extendable period of four years.
“How we will adjust these four months wherein Justice Deedar Shah worked as NAB chairman”, Orakzai said. “Let the new notification of NAB chairman’s appointment arrive, then we will address your point,” the court said while adjourning proceedings until February 28.
