LAHORE, May 31: The National Accountability Bureau has neither been able to arrange any voluntary return and plea bargain nor filed reference of any mega scam since removal of its chairman, the former chief Justice of Sindh High Court, Deedar Hussain Shah (retired), about three months ago, Dawn has learnt.

The opposition in the National Assembly plans to pressurise the government for filling the top NAB slot in the forthcoming session.

“The accountability process has come to a grinding halt since the departure of Mr Shah. Besides, no arrest of any official above BS-19 had been made during the period. The matters like voluntary return, plea bargain, reference (mega financial scams) and arrest require the NAB chief’s approval,” a senior NAB official told Dawn on Tuesday.

The Supreme Court had removed Mr Shah from the post accepting a petition filed by the National Assembly opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar in which he submitted that he was not consulted with regard to the NAB chief’s appointment.

Under the law, the government is supposed to appoint NAB chairman in consultation with the opposition. However, both the PPP-led government and PML-N-led opposition have yet to reach a consensus on the issue.

“It seems there has been a different kind of consensus between the government and the opposition --- slowing down the accountability process in the country,” the official said.

There are cases pending against the PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in the NAB as well.

“Pursuance of a good number of under-process inquiries and cases in courts has also been hampered,” he said.

Pakistan is a signatory to the United Nation's Convention against corruption and NAB has been officially designated as the apex national anti-corruption body which follows the three best international principles --- awareness, prevention and enforcement.

The official further said since the NAB was without a head, no complaint or inquiry against any official serving in BS-18 and above was being entertained by the NAB.

“Now after the Lahore High Court stopped NAB Punjab Director General Zahid Mahmood from working last week, complaints and inquiries pertaining to even officials below BS-18 are not being entertained,” he said.

The post of prosecutor general (accountability) has also been vacant for over a year.

Former Law Minister Babar Awan made a remark after removal of Mr Shah that the office of the NAB chairman should not be vacant “even for a day”. Law Minister Moula Bakhsh Chandio was not available for a comment.

PML-N spokesman Ahsan Iqbal told Dawn the government was not interested in an independent accountability setup because of “the PPP’s top leaders’ corruption”.

“We have time and again asked the government to appoint a new chairman in consultation with the opposition but it is deliberately delaying the process. The government is also impeding the proposed independent accountability setup by not presenting the concerned draft in the assembly,” Ahsan Iqbal said and added the PML-N would agitate in the forthcoming session of the assembly for the appointment of the new NAB chief and an accountability setup.

The PPP-led coalition government had announced it was going to 'abolish' the institution (NAB) soon after coming into power some three years ago. The government later hinted at ending the NAB’s role of “victimising political opponents”.

The source said that not appointing the NAB’s head could be the first step towards winding up the bureau.

Another NAB official said: “If NAB had been misused in the past for political gains it does not mean there is something wrong with this institution.”

“It’s the government’s duty to ensure NAB should function as an independent anti-corruption institution and accountability should be across the board, transparent and evenhanded,” he suggested.