RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday disposed of a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan against the appointment of Qamar Zaman Chaudhry as chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

A three-member bench headed by Justice Nasir ul Mulk resumed the hearing of Imran’s petition. During the course of proceedings, Aitzaz Ahsan, the counsel for Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khurshid Shah apprised the bench that the petition against appointment of Major Chaudhry Qamar Zaman (retd) as chairman of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was inadmissible. He contended that Imran had filed the petition in his personal capacity, and not as a political leader. He further said that the government appointed Qamar Zaman with the consent of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly had agreed to the name of Zaman as the chairman of NAB, Ahsan added. He said the President of Pakistan was bound to act on the advice of the Prime Minister after the 18th constitutional amendment.

Khawaja Haris, an amicus curiae, informed the court that consultation between the Prime Minister and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly was mandatory for the appointment of chairman NAB under the NAB’s law.

The court asked about the selection process of Leader of the Opposition in the Nationbal Assembly, to which Aitzaz replied that the Leader of the Opposition was the one who enjoyed support of maximum opposition members in the assembly. Later, the court disposed of Imran’s petition.