ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday questioned the appointment of Justice (r) Javed Iqbal as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, saying the objective behind his selection was ‘unclear’.
The senior leadership of the PTI met under the chairmanship of party chief Imran Khan to discuss the selection of the new NAB chief, said a party statement issued on Monday.
During the meeting, the party leaders expressed concern over the appointment of the NAB chief, saying the PTI was not consulted over the selection of the Bureau chief, nor were its recommendations taken into consideration.
PTI, however, did not issue an immediate response following the NAB chairman’s election on Sunday, saying that the matter was sensitive and party leadership would meet to deliberate on the issue.
Earlier in the day, Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah said the consensus among political parties was reached to select the new chairman of the NAB.
The PTI leadership said that the performance of the new NAB chairman will determine whether his appointment is justified or not. It is yet to be seen whether he follows his predecessor or “chooses a new path for himself”, the statement said—an allusion to outgoing NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, who had shielded the Sharif family from prosecution on corruption cases.
“Corruption is the biggest plague of Pakistan and its elimination is inevitable. The new chairman must actively pursue the cases referred by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers verdict, especially the Hudaibiya Mills reference,” the statement added.
The meeting was attended by senior party leaders, including Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, General Secretary Jahangir Tareen, Shireen Mazari, Shafqat Mehmood, Arif Ali, Asad Umar, Azam Swati, Fawad Chaudhry, and others.
Earlier, President Mamnoon Hussain appointed Justice (r) Javed Iqbal, a former judge of the Supreme Court, the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), said a notification released by the Ministry of Law and Justice on Sunday.
Justice (r) Javed Iqbal has been appointed the NAB chief for a non-extendable period of four years from the date he assumes the charge of the office. “In exercise of the powers conferred upon Section 6(b) of National Accountability Ordinance 1999, the President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan is pleased to appoint Justice (r) Javed Iqbal as the NAB chairman for a non-extendable period of four years from the date he assumes the charge of the office, reads the notification.