-Chairman NAB to continue till new appointment is made
-Resignation of Deputy Chairman NAB accepted
By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi on Wednesday promulgated the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, under which NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal will continue to serve the post until a new chairman is appointed.
The new NAB chairman will be appointed for a period of four years and his term may be extended, as per the amended ordinance.
The method followed for the appointment of the NAB chairman will be the one employed while granting an extension. The ordinance states that 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 especially for the matter of the appointment. Under the new ordinance, the president has the authority to establish as many accountability courts in the country, as he deems fit.
Judges to the accountability courts will be appointed for a three-year term, the ordinance states.Following the amendments in the Accountability Ordinance, President Arif Alvi on Wednesday approved NAB Deputy Chairman Hussain Asghar’s resignation, days after he had reportedly sent it.As per the rules, after the resignation is received, it is sent to the law ministry with the recommendation of the NAB chairman.
The law ministry forwards the resignation to the president for the final decision, and after his approval, the ministry notifies an acceptance of the resignation. The federal government had appointed Asghar as deputy chairman in April 2019 for a period of three years.
Before assuming charge at NAB, Asghar was former director-general of the Anti-Corruption Establishment in Punjab and performed his duties from September 24, 2018, to February 22, 2019.
