ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in National Assembly Khursheed Shah called on Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Friday to discuss the proposed names for the appointment of the National Accountability Bureau(NAB) chairman.
According to reports, the opposition leader submitted the names of three persons for the NAB chairman proposed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The PTI has recommended former inspector general of police Shoaib Suddle, former judge of the Supreme Court Falak Sher and former chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Arbab Shahzad.
During the meeting, the two men exchanged views on merit and demerit of each candidate.
Shah described the meeting with the PM as cordial and hoped that a consensus over the name of the new NAB chairman would be reached within the next couple of meetings.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has claimed that it has given three names to the opposition leader for NAB chairman’s office and not one as reportedly claimed by Khursheed Shah.
MQM’s Rabita Committee member Ameenul Haq said that besides Justice Mahmood Rizvi, the party had proposed the names of retired Justice Muhammad Ghaus and former ECP secretary Kanwar Dilshad for the office.
The government has already proposed three names — that of Intelligence Bureau Director General Aftab Sultan and retired justices Rehman Hussain Jafri and Ijaz Chaudhry.
The only nominee of Jamaat-e-Islami for the post is former ECP secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan.
With the addition of PTI’s three names, a total of 12 nominees are now in the run for the NAB chairman’s office.
PM Abbasi and Shah have met several times over the past two weeks in connection with finalising the name of the next NAB chairman. The post will fall vacant on October 10 following the retirement of the incumbent chairman, Qamar Zaman Chaudhry.
The appointment of NAB chairman is being made at a time when a NAB court is hearing corruption references against members of the Sharif family in line with the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case.