ISLAMABAD: While adding another act to its ‘achievements’ to undermine the rule of law in the country, the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) government has finally decided to give “Temporary” extension to incumbent National Accountability Bureau ( NAB) chairman, Justice (R) Javed Iqbal.
According to sources privy to the consultations held here on Thursday on the issue, prime minister, Imran Khan, was suggested by his legal advisors that since Shahbaz Sharif was an accused in NAB case and can not be consulted, as required by the constitution, it was a fit case to grant extension “Temporarily” to the incumbent NAB chairman. The government is likely to go for an ordinance in this case.
The prime minister’s legal wizards basically found out some silver line in the case to make their “Boss” happy by finding a way out as desired by him to grant extension to Justice Javed Iqbal as NAB chairman. The word ” Temporary” is being invented by PTI government to dodge the court in case the opposition parties or anyone else challenges extension to NAB chairman at any legal forum.
The PTI government has many big legal brains in its folders like Farogh Nasim and Babar Awan and they may defend imminent extension to NAB chairman once the matter lands in the court,, but this act will establish one key factor that the PTI government gives least importance to the rule of law. It, rather, makes up a plan and then executes it no matter what impact it could have on the state in the future.
The prime minister and his legal team seemed determined to keep Justice (R) Javed Iqbal as NAB chairman much before. Since the constitution of Pakistan and NAB Act both are crystal clear that incumbent chairman can not be given extension on completion of a 4 -year term in office, PTI government was finding out some tricky line to make its case for extension to the sitting NAB chairman.
After 18th amendment, prime minister (Leader of the House and opposition leader) are required to have comsultation on appointment of NAB chairman. There is no bar on the opposition leader (Shahbaz Sharif) to send a panel of his names to consider by the prime minister and appoint one of them as NAB chairman. The opposition is wailing for fowarding of a panel of names by the prime minister for appointment of NAB chairman, but its not suggesting its own panel of names A simple letter from Shahbaz Sharif was needed to the prime minister for it. Had the opposition leader written the letter to the prime minister, suggesting a panel of names it could have thwarted the government planned extension to the incumbent chairman.
