ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) underwent massive internal shuffling and transfers ahead of the appointment of new chairman.

DG NAB Rawalpindi Irfan Naeem Mangi has been removed from his post. He was leading the fake accounts case against PML-N leaders including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his family.

Irfan Naeem Mangi has been posted as Head of Research and Training at NAB headquarters. DG NAB Balochistan Farmanullah has been appointed in his place.

DG NAB Lahore Shehzad Saleem has also been removed from the post and replaced by Mirza Sultan Muhammad Saleem.

This is the second time within a month that Shehzad Saleem has been removed from his post. He has been appointed as DG Awareness and Prevention Division at NAB Headquarters.

It must be mentioned that Shehzad Saleem was a key member of Panamagate JIT which probed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He was also active in probing cases against the Sharif family.

DG NAB Multan Noman Aslam has been appointed as new DG NAB Balochistan. DG Operations Masood Alam Khan has appointed as DG NAB Sukkur with immediate effect.

It may be mentioned that coalition government has not named a new NAB chairman ever since Justice (retired) Javed Iqbal’s tenure ended on June 3. NAB deputy chairman Zahir Shah has been running the anti-graft watchdog ever since.

Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, Raja Riaz Ahmed claimed that new NAB chairman would be appointed soon in his final round of talk with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The ruling PML-N has been searching for a suitable candidate for the slot but it has to reach consensus with important allies particularly the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

According to reports, the top contender Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqir has yet not been finalised as the ruling party was reportedly not in favour of appointing retired judges.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has stated the retired judge had recused himself and his name was subsequently dropped for not adhering to employment laws which seeks a mandatory two-year gap after retirement.

The names of senior bureaucrat Fawad Hassan Fawad and former FIA DG Bashir Memon were also under discussion but objections were raised on both names. However, several other names could are under consideration for the post.

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