ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) will hold a meeting on May 16 to examine a reference filed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf for removal of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry from his post.
The SJC secretary announced the date of the meeting in a notification issued on Friday. The complaint was filed by PTI spokesperson Fawad Hussain Chaudhry through Advocate Chaudhry Faisal Hussain under Article 209 of the constitution. The complainant submitted that in light of the apex court verdict in the Panama Papers case on April 20, the NAB chairman was found guilty of ‘glaring and stunning illegalities and violating the code of conduct’. In the Panamagate ruling, the top court declared that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family had failed to justify their offshore assets. A five-member bench of the Supreme Court, however, could not reach a consensus on the disqualification of the prime minister and hence ordered the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to settle the saga that started with the Mossack Fonseka leaks just over a year ago.
The PTI complainant said, “The NAB chairman, by virtue of his office, can deter the fate of hundreds of inquiries, investigations and litigation. Hence, any person with such a poor, dubious and murky track record can never be trusted and it will not be out of place to expect that the findings of the Supreme Court are only the tip of the iceberg.” The party’s spokesperson said he had filed the reference with the sole objective of upholding the constitution and ensuring the rule of law.
