ISLAMABAD: Mukhdoom Ali Khan advocate, counsel for Arif Usmani, president National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) on Wednesday while defending his client before the divisional bench of Islamabad High Court (IHC) faced tough questions.
Latif Qureshi, a unionist and former NBP employee, is a petitioner in this case. He is being represented by GM Chaudhary advocate before the court of the law.
A divisional bench comprising chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq is hearing the appeal against dismissal of Arif Usmani and Zubair Somro. A single bench of IHC had dismissed Arif Usmani and Zubair Somro for not meeting the criteria for appointment of NBP president and chairman of the governing board of the bank. The affectees, Arif Usmani and Zubair Somro had filed the appeal before IHC against a single judge decision
IHC chief Justice, Athar Minallah, raised many glaring questions during the hearing of the case. He inquired from Mukhdoom Ali Khan advocate to explain as to what criteria was followed for hiring, Arif Usmani as NBP and Zubair Somro as chairman board of governors. The court also asked the counsel for Arif Usmani as if his client was a right man for the job of the NBP president. Mukhdoom ALI Khan informed the court that his client, Arif Usmani, surrendered his dual nationality for appointment of NBP president. The court made Mukhdoom Ali Khan to read the advertisement made for hiring of Arif Usmani and Zubair Somro. The court was informed that Arif Usmani had a degree of physics at the time of his hiring as NBP president. At his the court inquired from Mukhdoom Ali Khan advocate as if his client, Arif Usmani, had worked at any laboratory in the past.
This is interesting that a man having physics degree with no qualification to be a professional banker managed to get himself inducted as NBP president. This one question is enough to establish that Arif Usmani is a fake man and he used “Chamak” to become president of NBP. The court of law when it meets again should also inquire as if Asad Umar, the federal minister and prime minister’s buddy from Karachi, had some role in Arif Usmani’s induction as NBP president. The court will resume hearing into the case on October 26, 2021.