A report tells of PML-N and PPP being involved in a tug of war over the appointment of the next president of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP). Reportedly the PPP is adamant to get its nominee selected for the slot after losing a similar battle to Finance Minister Miftah Ismail who got his preferred candidate appointed as Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). National Bank of Pakistan is one of the largest banking institutions of the country with seventy three years of service to its credit. It has branches spread over a number of world capitals. Political parties are keen to fill the jobs with their nominees. Among the tasks undertaken by the NBP is providing credit to the unbanked market segment that includes small and medium enterprises, agricultural sector and large corporate customers. All this makes the post of NBP president attractive to political parties. Accusations of misuse of powers have in the past led to NAB cases against two former presidents of the bank. In the Park Lane case several important officials of the National Bank of Pakistan were among the accused. There is therefore a need to develop a procedure for selection of NBP President on purely professional basis and without a role by the ruling party.
After the treatment meted out to politicians by NAB during the last four years, one had hoped that a lesson would have been learnt by the PPP and PML-N. The desire to have a NBP President of one’s choice indicates that little has been learnt. One can understand the need for a bank chief sufficiently receptive to the needs of the farming community or the small industry. But this could have been made a part of the criteria for selection rather than a hunch for particular persons known to the politicians.
There is a need to have officials with professional excellence and sufficient independence to be appointed to key posts without political interference. A perception that important officials that include chiefs of NBP, FIA and FBR are close to a certain party creates doubts about their independence and needs to be removed.
