The appointment of Justice (retd) Deedar Hussain Shah as chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been challenged in the Lahore High Court through a petition on the grounds that it is in violation of the Constitution.
The petition was filed by Barrister Javed Iqbal Jaffery contending that the appointment of the new chairman NAB was unlawful.
In his petition, the lawyer claimed that the federal government did not consult the chief justice of Pakistan and the opposition leader while appointing the new chairman NAB, despite the fact that it was mandatory for the federal government to do so.
The petitioner said Shah’s appointment is against the principles of merit policy as he has been chosen on a political basis for the seat of chairman NAB, by the government to protect its position in NAB cases pending before the Supreme Court. The petitioner said important corruption cases of NAB are pending before the SC against some key figures in the federal government and presidency, and the government had placed a man of its choice as chairman NAB to get rid of the cases.
The petitioner said that Shah has strong affiliations with the PPP and President Asif Ali Zardari and this link has played a major role in the appointment.
The petitioner prayed that the appointment of Shah as new chairman NAB may be declared null and void as it has been made “unlawfully and unconstitutionally”.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 10th, 2010.
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