ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Law and Justice will soon send a summary to the Prime Minister so that he can take a decision on extending the current chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), retired Justice Javed Iqbal, for another term. Four years old, sources said on Thursday.
The ministry is working on a proposal in this regard and it will be sent to the prime minister soon after Justice Iqbal’s four-year term as NAB president ends this month.
A senior ministry official said that though the government is yet to take a final call on whether to grant an extension to Justice Iqbal, “the law ministry is working on a proposal to promulgate an ordinance to give an extension to the prime minister’s proposal.” Is. The NAB president (meeting) can”.
The summary, he said, would put the relevant proposal before Prime Minister Imran Khan; It will not limit itself to elaboration but will also suggest a legal case against such a move.
Law Ministry to draft an ordinance if PM decides to extend service to retired judge Javed Iqbal
Sources further said that Federal Law Minister Barrister Farogh Naseem is working on the proposal, which will be sent to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will take the final decision in this regard.
“If the PM decides to give extension to the NAB chairman, the law ministry will draft an ordinance to amend the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) and send it to the President,” sources said. , enabling the government to extend Justice Iqbal.
According to sources, the ministry has examined the law and if the prime minister decides to serve Justice Iqbal, then sub-section B of section 6 of the NAO will be amended.
Sub-section B of Section 6 of the NAO states: “There shall be a Chairman NAB who shall be appointed in consultation with the President. [Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly] for one [non-extendable] time up [four] Such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the President for years and shall not be removed except on the ground of removal of a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.”
The resolution suggested that the word “non-extendable” may be substituted with the word “extendable” in the clause mentioned for giving extension to the NAB chairman.
When contacted, Law Minister Farogh Naseem declined to comment further on the matter. However, he described the “news” that his ministry had finalized a draft of amendments to the NAO as “fake”.
Published in Dawn, October 1, 2021