Fasih Bokhari installed as new NAB Chief

Fasih Bokhari installed as new NAB Chief

Former Chief of the Pakistan Navy, Admiral (Retd.) Fasih Bokhari, has assumed charge of his new office. The former naval officer will now serve as Chief of the National Accountability Bureau after a notification was issued to this effect on Sunday.

The notification was issued by the law ministry, signed by the President Asif Ali Zardari. It read:

“The president of Islamic Republic of Pakistan has been pleased to appoint Admiral (retd) Fasih Bokhari as Chairman National Accountability Bureau in terms of section 6(b) of National Accountability Ordinance 1999, with immediate effect.”

According to sources, Bokhari assumed charge of NAB late Sunday night. His appointment is expected to revive the NAB, which had been defunct since the appointment of its last chief, Syed Deedar Hussein Shah, was challenged in the Supreme Court of Pakistan and subsequently cancelled.

The Pakistan Muslim League –Nawaz, though, could prove to be a hurdle once again in the process. It was the PML-N which raised the issue of Deedar Hussein’s appointment in the apex court of the country, labelling him a controversial figure and partial to the Pakistan People’s Party, therefore ineligible for the position of NAB Chief.

PML-N rejected the candidacy of Fasih Bokhari when the leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, was consulted on the matter, as required under the constitution of Pakistan, by the President. Chaudhry Nisar even raised his objections through a letter to the President, but the reservations of his party seem to have been ignored by the government.

There is a great likelihood that the PML-N will go to court once again to stop the new Chief from working. They can use the previous judgement of the Supreme Court as a basis for a case, in which it was clearly stated that only after consultation with the opposition can a new NAB Chief be appointed.

“We believe that the government has taken the decision in haste as President Zardari did not give a satisfactory reply to a letter written by the Leader of Opposition, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, after thorough consultations with opposition party’s legal team,” said PML-N spokesman Mushahidullah.

Expect this matter to stay on the front pages for a while to come.

Posted by Ali Ahmed on Oct 17 2011. Filed under Latest News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry