With its executive board meeting (EBM) being held today (Wednesday) after a lapse of over eight months, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is all set to become functional with its new chairman, Admiral (r) Fasih Bokhari, set to chair his first meeting of the NAB’s decision-making body.
The previous EBM of the NAB was chaired by Deputy Chairman NAB Javed Qazi, in the capacity of acting chairman in absence of the NAB chief after removal of Justice (r) Deedar Hussain Shah as NAB chief.
A source told Pakistan Today that a huge agenda was to be taken up at the meeting with around half a dozen references, several inquiries and prosecution cases are to be decided by the meeting while some internal matters of NAB vis-à-vis restructuring of the body would also be taken up during the meeting.
“Earlier, the NAB chairman has been given all necessary briefings and after being fully updated on NAB functioning, Bokhari is all set to chair today’s meeting with a heavy agenda to be taken up by the executive board meeting which is the only body authorised to take any decision on any case or reference,” said the source, adding that the meeting would also review the implementation status on its decisions taken in its last meeting.
“Today’s meeting would also take up the agenda which was pending due to removal of the former chairman NAB Justice (r) Syed Deedar Hussain Shah by the Supreme Court on March 10. Previously, the EBM meeting was scheduled to be held on March 9 but was later cancelled as the court was going to decide the fate of Deedar Shah the very next day on March 10. So Deedar thought it against morality to take decisions of NAB cases while he himself was facing an axe. So he decided to cancel the meeting and wait for the apex court decision,” said the source, adding that Justice (r) Deedar Shah was present at NAB headquarters and as the court announced its verdict, he left the charge the same day.
