ISLAMABAD: The Pakis­tan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has announced that it will not propose any name for the post of the chairman of the National Accoun­tability Bureau (NAB), saying it has decided to stay away from the process.

Speaking to Dawn on Wednesday, PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi rejected a claim by the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah that the PTI was not suggesting any name despite repeated requests.

Mr Qureshi said he was the parliamentary leader of the PTI, but so far he had not been approached by Mr Shah for consultation on the matter.

Commenting on Mr Shah’s claim that he had asked three PTI MNAs for the purpose, Mr Qureshi said that raising such an important issue with “passers-by” was not an appropriate way of holding consultations.

When asked if the PTI would suggest any name on its own, he said they had decided to stay away from the process as they knew that the two main parties — the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N — had already reached an understanding and the ongoing consultations between the opposition leader and the prime minister were merely an eyewash.

MQM proposes retired Justice Mehmood Rizvi for the post

Mr Qureshi said it was ridiculous that the two parties whose leaders were facing corruption charges were deciding appointment of the NAB chairman. He said his party had rejected the six names proposed by the PPP and the PML-N for the post.

Earlier, talking to reporters at the Parliament House, Mr Shah had criticised the PTI for not proposing any name for the post of NAB chairman. He said he had himself requested PTI MNAs Shireen Mazari, Dr Arif Alvi and Shafqat Mehmood to provide him the name since their parliamentary leader was not present, but there was a complete silence on the other side.

He said the PTI could even suggest a name now and he was ready to give serious consideration to it. “The PTI has rejected the six names which we are discussing. They can still propose a new name. They should not feel ashamed.”

Mr Shah said the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had suggested the name of retired Justice Mehmood Rizvi — a former judge of the Sindh High Court — for the office and he would definitely discuss it during his next meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi likely to be held on Thursday or Friday.

Mr Shah said he had also received the names from the Jamaat-i-Islami and Qaumi Watan Party of Aftab Sherpao which he had forwarded to the prime minister.

Prime Minister Abbasi and the opposition leader in their meeting on Tuesday night had exchanged three names each for the office which will fall vacant after the retirement of incumbent chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry on Oct 10.

The government has proposed the names of retired Justice Rehmat Jafri, retired Justice Ijaz Chaudhry and Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director General Aftab Sultan, whereas the opposition has suggested the names of retired Justice Faqir Mohammad Khokhar, retired Justice Javed Iqbal and former secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan Ishtiaq Ahmed for the position.

Justice Jafri was the judge who sentenced Nawaz Sharif to life in prison — rather than awarding him death penalty — in the plane hijacking case instituted by Gen Pervez Musharraf. His name, as well as that of Justice Chaudhry, were also proposed for the same slot by the PML-N in 2013. According to a political figure privy to the process, both judges appear to be ‘favourites’ of Mr Sharif.

Justice Khokhar and Justice Iqbal are former Supreme Court judges; the former was one of the judges who took fresh oath under the PCO of 2007, while the latter has served as head of the Abbottabad Commission and the Commission on Enforced Disappearances.

The appointment is being made at a time when a National Accountability Bureau court is hearing corruption references against the Sharif family in line with the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case.

Mr Shah expressed the hope that they would finalise the name of the new NAB chief by Oct 8.

Under the National Accountability Ordinance, the appointment of NAB chairman is made by the prime minister in consultation with the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2017