News
Saturday, October 15, 2011
President’s policy on NAB chief’s appointment controversial: Nisar* Opposition leader proposes panel to finalise consensus candidate
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday made public the letter written to President Asif Zardari about the appointment of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chief.
In the letter, Nisar pointed out that the appointment of Admiral (r) Fasih Bokhari by the government was even contradictory to its own stated position on the issue.
Addressing President Zardari, Nisar said that if the objective of the entire exercise was to select a nominee with impeccable reputation, integrity and credibility and unquestionable impartiality, then there was no reason whatsoever for hesitation on part of the government to engage with the opposition in a thorough and meaningful consultation.
Nisar proposed that a panel of possible candidates for the NAB chairman should be drawn up mutually and the nominee be finalised after consensus-oriented consultation.
He recalled that in various letters sent to the prime minister in the past, he had emphasised that a panel of possible candidates should be drawn up and discussed through a participatory consultative process.
He said a consensus was necessary in the light of the Supreme Court judgement of March 10 in the constitutional petitions in Justice (r) Deedar Hussain’s case wherein it had been held that “spirit of such consultation should aim at developing consensus and it should manifest that a serious, sincere and genuine effort was made towards evolving a consensus because otherwise the consultation would neither be meaningful nor purposive and consensus-oriented.
Nisar held the view that a panel of possible candidates is also necessary for consultation with the chief justice of Pakistan in respect of the appointment of NAB chairman as recommended by the court in Khan Asfandyar Wali and others versus Federation and others, Dr Mubashir Hassan and others versus Federation of Pakistan and others and Bank of Punjab versus Haris Steel Industries (Private) Limited and others.
The opposition leader pointed out that one of the four major points of disputes between the government and the opposition regarding the Holders of Public Office (Accountability) Bill, which is pending before the National Assembly Standing Committee for Law and Justice for nearly two and half years, relates to the qualification for appointment of the chairman of the proposed new National Accountability Commission.
The government bill provides that the chairman should be a person who is or has been a judge of the Supreme Court or is qualified to be a appointed a judge of the apex court, he mentioned and added that whereas the PML’s view is that the chairman should be a serving judge of the Supreme Court.
“The fact that government has proposed the appointment of a person (who is not a judge nor qualified to be a judge) is contradictory to its own position,” Nisar noted and felt that through this act it appears that government has no intention to pass the new accountability law.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk