ISLAMABAD – President Asif Ali Zardari has decided to retract his decision of reappointing Justice (r) Deedar Hussain Shah as National Accountability Bureau chairman. The PML-N has decided to propose the name of Justice (r) Khalilur Rehman Ramday for the position.
Sources told Online that after consulting Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Senate Chairman Farooq Naik and other close aides, President Zardari decided to accept the Supreme Court’s verdict regarding NAB Chairman Justice (r) Shah and retracted his earlier decision of reappointing him.
Instead, Deedar Shah would be given another key post after consultation with the prime minister. According to the sources, the president mentioned anger and disapproval of some of his legal experts for fielding the name of Deedar Shah as NAB chief without him fulfilling legal requirements.
The Presidency decided that it would not confront the Supreme Court and would accept its decision. It was also considering two or three names, including two judges and one former army officer, for the slot. The government would also take on board the opposition leader and the chief justice of Pakistan this time.
However, according to legal experts, the president had the discretionary power to appoint NAB chief. On the other hand, official sources said a PML-N senior leader had suggested to the government that it appoint former Supreme Court Justice Ramday NAB chairman to which the higher judiciary would have no objection and the government would also find it easy to consult him.
However, President Zardari in view of Ramday’s track record is reluctant. Soon another consultation meeting would be chaired by the president in which the decision on the appointment of a new NAB chairman would be finalised, they said.
