Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry has said that the government will not consult Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on the appointment of the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) next chairman.
Talking to media in Jhelum on Saturday, the minister said consulting Shehbaz is like asking a suspect who should be interrogating officer.
He categorically said Shehbaz has been declared a suspect by the NAB and the government “will not consult him on the appointment of the NAB chairman.”
Fawad said Section 6 of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) provides that the president will appoint the NAB chairman in consultation with the leader of the house and the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly for a non-extendable period of four years.
Fawad criticised PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and likened him with former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani.
Nawaz is living a life similar to that of ousted Afghan president Ashraf Ghani, one in London and the other in Dubai.
He remarked that “Nawaz Sharif and Ashraf Ghani fled abroad with dollars.”
The information minister said when Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested, Nawaz avoided commenting on the matter.
He was all praise for Prime Minister Imran Khan saying he effectively raised the issue of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
ELECTION 2023: The minister expressed the confidence that the PTI would form a majority government in the 2023 elections, and that it would prove to be the PPP and the PML-N’s “last” elections.
He claimed that the PTI would return with a two-thirds majority in the Centre.
He said the PTI had to form a coalition government in 2018, and “we had to make compromises due to that.”
The minister predicted that the PML-N and the PPP would fall apart during the next general elections, claiming that no politician is ready to take both the parties’ tickets.
“Bilawal offered Rs50 million to candidates in South Punjab who would contest elections on the PPP’s ticket.
The information minister claimed that a weekly toss is held between Maryam Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif to decided who will lead the PML-N.
EXTENSION: Meanwhile, Law Minister Farogh Naseem rejected media reports that the law ministry had drafted an ordinance to extend the term of the NAB chief.
The law minister said that the media has reported that the prime minister has discussed the issue of the possible extension in the term of the NAB chairman with him.
He said the situation will become clear next week. It was the prime minister’s prerogative to pick a person for the post of the head of the anti-corruption watchdog and that he could only give his advice on the issue.
