President’s nomination: Zardari sticks to Fasih Bukhari for NAB chief
Letter sent to Chaudhry Nisar addressing objections, law allows retired military personnel appointment as NAB chief.
ISLAMABAD:
Sticking to his ground, President Asif Zardari has rejected the assertions of leader of the opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan over the nomination of Admiral (retd) Fasih Bukhari as the new head of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), saying that his choice was based solely on merit and in accordance with the law.
President Zardari wrote back to Nisar, who rejected Bukhari’s nomination on technical grounds in a recent letter to the president. The government has nominated the former naval chief for the post, which has been vacant since March when the Supreme Court rejected the appointment of Justice (retd) Deedar Hussain Shah.
In his letter, Zardari claimed that Nisar had not commented on the profile and integrity of the nominee.
According to the president’s spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, Zardari referred to a clause in the NAB Ordinance 1999 and said that the proper course of the law had been followed in the appointment.
Babar said the president rejected Nisar’s suggestion that a panel of names be sent to him for consultation saying that the suggestion was devoid of any legal basis. Instead, Babar added, the president wanted “meaningful consultation” with Nisar whom he had “taken on board quite candidly.”
Referring to the implementation of superior courts verdicts mentioned in the letter of the opposition leader, the president said that a bill was already pending in parliament. “In order to implement the judgments of the superior courts referred to in your letter a bill is proposed by the federal government and is pending in the Parliament, wherein a process of consideration of the bill by members of parliament is taking place”, the president said in the letter.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2011.
(Read: ‘Not consulted’: Opposition rejects another NAB chief)
Read the full text of the letter here.
Sticking to his ground, President Asif Zardari has rejected the assertions of leader of the opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan over the nomination of Admiral (retd) Fasih Bukhari as the new head of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), saying that his choice was based solely on merit and in accordance with the law.
President Zardari wrote back to Nisar, who rejected Bukhari’s nomination on technical grounds in a recent letter to the president. The government has nominated the former naval chief for the post, which has been vacant since March when the Supreme Court rejected the appointment of Justice (retd) Deedar Hussain Shah.
In his letter, Zardari claimed that Nisar had not commented on the profile and integrity of the nominee.
According to the president’s spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, Zardari referred to a clause in the NAB Ordinance 1999 and said that the proper course of the law had been followed in the appointment.
Babar said the president rejected Nisar’s suggestion that a panel of names be sent to him for consultation saying that the suggestion was devoid of any legal basis. Instead, Babar added, the president wanted “meaningful consultation” with Nisar whom he had “taken on board quite candidly.”
Referring to the implementation of superior courts verdicts mentioned in the letter of the opposition leader, the president said that a bill was already pending in parliament. “In order to implement the judgments of the superior courts referred to in your letter a bill is proposed by the federal government and is pending in the Parliament, wherein a process of consideration of the bill by members of parliament is taking place”, the president said in the letter.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2011.
(Read: ‘Not consulted’: Opposition rejects another NAB chief)
Read the full text of the letter here.