PPP delaying appointment of NAB chairman

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government has once again decided to play a tricky game with the new appointment of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman by delaying the issuance of the notification to the effect. Though the PPP government had finalised Justice (r) Sardar Raza Khan as the new NAB chairman, the notification would not be issued by July 20, the expiry date of the deadline to appoint the chairman given by the Supreme Court, sources told Pakistan Today. The sources said the government would first observe the mood of the apex court once the deadline passed without the notification being issued, and if it felt matters were getting out of hand it would issue the notification immediately. Otherwise, said the source, the government would prefer to drag the matter further in order to avoid appointing a new head of the bureau. The government had previously appointed Syed Deedar Hussain Shah NAB chairman but the Supreme Court set aside this appointment, declaring Shah ineligible for the post. The post has been vacant since. Sources said further that the government was also mulling over the appointment of a deputy chairman in the bureau. Chaudhry Ramzan, a former judge who was never confirmed as a regular judge of the Lahore High Court, and former NAB legal expert Rana Abdul Shakoor were strong candidates for the deputy chairman slot, said the sources.