ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday declared illegal the appointment of Justice (retd) Deedar Shah as Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB), DawnNews reported.

The apex court directed Deedar Shah to immediately step down from his position of NAB chairman.

Pakistan People’s Party while reacting on the decision called for a day of protest in Sindh on Friday.

Sindh PPP leader Imtiaz Taj called for a boycott of court proceedings tomorrow and urged people to shut down all businesses and transport.

The decision came after an SC bench comprising Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Asif Saeed Khosa heard the petitions challenging Deedar Shah’s appointment.

The petitions were moved by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and citizen Shahid Orakzai.

Chaudhry Nisar, in his petition, had contended that the spirit of Section 6 of the NAO had not been adhered to because the appointment had been made despite his opposition on the grounds that Deedar Shah was known for his long association with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), his participation in party politics and twice serving as a member of the Sindh Assembly.

The court in its short order on the case said Deedar Shah was appointed in violation of the constitution and the law and subsequently directed him to step down.