ISLAMABAD, June 11: High profile appointments in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) were challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) by its 14 senior officials.

The IHC judge Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi on Monday took up the petition and directed the counsel for the petitioners to explain whether the court could take up the matter when they had an option to avail remedy by filing representation before the competent authority in the department.

The petitioners cited chairman NAB and director general human resource as respondent.

The counsel for the petitioners Raja Amir Abbas sought time to satisfy the court on this issue.

During the hearing, he told the court that the NAB authorities are inducting their favorites on high profile posts adding in the last few months, the bureau had inducted Khursheed Anwar Bhinder as director general (Punjab) and Kausar Iqbal Malik as director general (HR).

He claimed that the bureau was in process of appointing Wajid Durrani, a retired police officer, as another director general on the recommendations of President Asif Ali Zardari.

He said the appointments are being made in violation of predefined and allocated quota reserved for initial appointments and promotion adding that according to the quota, the bureau could make 25 per cent initial appointments from outside while 75 per cent positions could only be filled through promotion.

The blatant misuse of authority by the respondents – chairman NAB and director general (HR) – has been defined and termed as an offence in the NAB Ordinance, 1999.

He requested the court to direct the NAB authorities to immediately convene the meaningful selection board for promotions in BPS 20 to 21. He also requested the court to declare illegal all the appointments made by the respondents in violation of NAB rules.