ISLAMABAD, June 20: The Islamabad High Court (IHC), while hearing a case related to the appointment of four director generals (DG) of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), sought the details of all officials appointed in the bureau directly or through deputation from other departments.
NAB directors, including Major (retired) Shehzad Saleem, had challenged the appointments of Zahir Shah (DG Operations), Mohammad Altaf Bawany (DG Human Resource Management), Husnain Ahmed (DG Punjab) and Brig (retired) Farooq Nasir Awan (DG NAB Headquarters).
The appointment process of these DGs had been initiated in March during the period of the former Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) government, but they were appointed on April 15, 2013.
The petitioners said the former premier, Raja Pervez Ashraf, was a potential accused in the Rental Power Project (RPP) scam and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) case. He had created the four posts in connivance with the former NAB chief Admiral (retired) Fasih Bokhari, who appointed handpicked officers to manipulate the investigations in these cases.
Shoaib Shaheen, counsel of the petitioners, told the IHC division bench comprised of Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi that Mr Ashraf had made a number of attempts to manipulate the investigations in these cases, and had also tried to change the incumbent NAB director and director general (Rawalpindi).
According to the counsel, the post of director general could only be filled at a 75:25 ratio; 75 per cent through departmental promotions and 25 per cent through direct appointments. “In this case, the authorities filled four newly created posts through direct appointments,” he said.
Mr Shaheen said these posts required that candidates were conversant with the training and evaluation of financial crimes and their prevention, but the newly appointed DGs lacked these basic skills.
He added that the Supreme Court, while deciding the matter related to posting and transfers made by the caretaker government, had also declared appointments made during the interim period illegal, but the four DGs continued working in the NAB.
On the other hand, the NAB’s counsel Hafiz A. Rehman maintained that the appointment of the four DGs had been made in accordance with the law and under the National Accountability Ordinance 1999.The IHC division bench asked the NAB authorities to submit the detail of officials who had been appointed in the bureau either directly or through a deputation by June 27, and adjourned the hearing.