Process to appoint NAB chairman marred by delay

President yet to consult with PM as well as leader of the opposition

ISLAMABAD:

The process for the appointment of the new chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) continues to be marred by delay on the part of President Arif Alvi even as considerable time has elapsed on deliberation, sources said on Saturday.

Two weeks ago, the Ministry of Law pushed the lingering process a few significant steps ahead by forwarding a summary to President Alvi in compliance with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s instructions, the sources said.

With the ball now in the president’s ball, the sources added, the president could not proceed with the talks with both the prime minister and the leader of the opposition.

Dr Arif Alvi, in the light of a judgement of the Supreme Court, is supposed to consult the prime minister and the leader of opposition in the National Assembly for NAB chairman.

The term of incumbent chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal expired in October. However, the government has extended his term through a presidential ordinance. The ordinance amended subsection b of section 6 of the NAO to give extension to the NAB chairman by excluding the word “non-extendable” from the statute.

The sources said that although separate letters have been already sent by the president to PM Imran and Shehbaz Sharif, the process has not gone beyond that as of yet.

Under the new law, the president will appoint the NAB chairman in consultation with the prime minister and the Opposition leader.

In case of a failure to reach a consensus on the appointment, the matter will be sent to a 12-member parliamentary committee formed for the appointment.

The new ordinance states that the new chairman for the anti-graft watchdog will be appointed for a period of four years and his term may be extended.