Headhunt: Two bureaucrats also in race for NAB chief

Khursheed Shah hopes consensus will be reached in today’s meeting.

ISLAMABAD:

After failing to pick one of two proposed names previously under consideration for National Accountability Bureau chairman, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Wednesday proposed two new candidates for the post.

The consultation process for consensus on a NAB chairman resumed on Wednesday after the prime minister returned from the United States. However, the two leaders failed to reach a consensus over either Justice (retd) Ajmal Mian or Justice (retd) Ijaz Chaudhry.

“Besides these candidates, we also discussed two new names,” Shah told journalists after his meeting.



Among those in the race now are two retired bureaucrats – Abdur Rauf Chaudhry who was appointed Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) by former president Asif Ali Zardari on the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in July this year, and Shaukat Durrani, former secretary of the ministry of religious affairs.

This is the first time that the government and the opposition are considering someone other than a retired judge for the position.

The post for the country’s top accountability watchdog has been lying vacant for over four months since the Supreme Court of Pakistan removed its former chief Admiral (retd) Fasih Bokhari in May this year.

Shah hoped that the two sides would be able to agree on one of the four names under consideration in the next meeting with the premier, which is due on Thursday (today). He also refuted rumours that his party had a tacit understanding with the government over NAB chief.

“If that had been the case, a NAB chairman would have long been appointed,” Shah said, adding that both the leaders were seriously discussing options to choose the best for the important post.

The government has been under pressure from the Supreme Court over the appointment of a NAB head. The apex court had also threatened the government with ‘consequences’ if it delayed the appointment.

From the two new names discussed, Abdur Rauf Chaudhry has been known to be a non-controversial and respected bureaucrat. He served as additional and then joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat and also served as the secretary in the ministries of housing and works, and textiles.

Durrani, on the other hand, has never been in limelight before. Before his appointment as secretary religious affairs, he served as additional secretary petroleum and natural resources.

Sources said Chaudhry and Justice (retd) Ajmal Mian were the strongest candidates for the chairman’s slot. In their last meeting, PM Sharif had suggested Justice (retd) Ijaz Chaudhry’s name against Shah’s suggestion of Ajmal Mian.

Investigations into multiple graft cases have been stalled due to the absence of a bureau chief, who has been constitutionally authorised with sweeping powers. A number of corruption references are pending approval for being filed in the courts, including those against former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.

Besides investigations, regular operations of the bureau were also suffering.

Following the appointment of a NAB chief, the government is likely to bring changes into the existing accountability law to cut down on the chairman’s powers and revise procedure of his appointment and removal to strengthen the institution.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2013.