ISLAMABAD: Federal government is mulling a proposal to appoint former judge of Supreme Court, Justice (R) Maqbool Baqar, as Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB).
An official told this scribe requesting anonymity that the retired apex court judge was being considered along with another retired Justice (retd) Dost Muhammad Khan for the slot.
Senior bureaucrats – both serving and retired – had earlier proposed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reform the NAB law with a view to avoiding alleged intimidation and humiliation at the hands of the anti-graft body.
The bureaucracy has been airing grievances with the past governments in what they call ‘harassment’ and ‘threatening’ attitude of NAB due to which the civil servants are reluctant to sign official files.
Justice Baqar, who retired from his post on April 4, is considered to be an independent judge while his critics say he has a leaning towards the ruling PML-N.
Another source in the ruling party told that the leaders of the ruling coalition have agreed on the name of retired Justice Maqbool Baqar as the new chairman of NAB.
The source said the name of the former Supreme Court judge also came under discussion during an interaction between representatives from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
The government believes National Assembly Opposition Leader Raja Riaz Ahmad will also support the pick as Baqar’s career as a judge was spotless.
The prime minister’s office is hopeful if all goes smoothly, Baqar will be the new head of the anti-graft watchdog.
While Baqar’s nomination enjoys unanimous support from the superior bars, senior lawyers fear that powerful circles and a section within the judiciary may resist his appointment. It is also believed that the former ruling party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), may also object to the appointment.
However, a lawyer who is part of PTI said that Justice Baqar has a “very good reputation and is the best candidate for the post”.
Previously, Justice Baqar was amongst those judges who gave a judgment in favour of Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s case regarding undocumented assets.
Justice Baqar was also responsible for granting bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PMLN) leader Khwaja Saad Rafiq. The case against the leader had raised serious questions about the anti-graft body’s conduct.
“Accountability laws have been successfully used to change political loyalties,” remarked Justice Baqar in his judgment while granting the leader bail.
As the coalition government came into power after ousting former premier Imran Khan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured senior bureaucrats that a revamp of NAB was on the cards.
