— PTI urges ‘group of 22’ civil servants, posted by interim Punjab administration, to ‘distance themselves’ from PDM government
ISLAMABAD: Aftab Sultan, chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), has resigned from his position, reportedly after refusing to comply with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government which had allegedly asked him to arrest former prime minister Imran Khan.
Sultan, a former director-general of the Intelligence Bureau, was appointed to the post in July of last year for a “non-extendable period” of three years, but came at odds with certain quarters of the state apparatus which prompted his departure.
According to Geo News, Sultan was asked to perform “certain [tasks] which were not acceptable to me”, following which he tendered his resignation to the prime minister.
“I had resigned from office a few days ago. I told them that I can’t continue with the conditions”, Aftab Sultan told a private TV channel.
Sources revealed that Aftab Sultan resigned from his office after “he was asked to do certain things which were not acceptable to him.”
Journalist Mubashir Zaidi said the former policeman resigned primarily because he refused to build a case against the chairman of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party.
نیب کے سربراہ کے مستعفی ہونے کی بڑی وجہ عمران خان کے خلاف کیس بنانے سے انکار تھا
— Mubashir Zaidi (@Xadeejournalist) February 21, 2023
“I told them that I cannot continue with the conditions. My resignation has been accepted and it comes to an end on a positive note,” Sultan said, as reported by Geo News. “The prime minister expressed good wishes for me, and I also have good wishes for him.”
Separately, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) read Sultan had presented his resignation to Shehbaz Sharif, citing personal reasons.
“The prime minister appreciated the services of Mr Aftab Sultan and lauded his honesty and uprightness. Upon his insistence, the prime minister reluctantly accepted the resignation of Mr Sultan,” it added.
Responding to the development, Fawad Chaudhry, senior vice president of the party, said the move is a big step towards the “collapse of the fascist system”, a reference to the government.
“Sultan resigned due to [political] interference in his work. I call on those 22 civil servants [who the party claims are biased against it] who have been appointed to intervene in Punjab [on behalf of the federal government] to separate themselves from this regime. It is in the interest of both the country and the civil service,” he tweeted.
چیئرمین احتساب بیورو کااستعفیٰ فاشسٹ نظام کے ٹوٹنے کی طرف بڑا قدم ہے،آفتاب سلطان نے ان کے کام میں“مداخلت”کے خلاف استعفیٰ دیا میں ان 22افسران کو جن کو پنجاب میں مداخلت کرنے کیلئے لگایا گیا ہے کہتا ہوں وہ بھی خود کو اس نظام سے علیحدہ کریں یہ ملک اور بیوروکریسی دونوں کے مفاد میں ہے
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) February 21, 2023
PROFILE
Sultan, who belongs to the fourth police common, thrice served as the IB chairman, most recently between June 2013 and April 2018, and before that remained head of the Punjab police from April to May 2013.
In February 2018, Khan accused him of assisting the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in selecting its candidates for the general elections.
Sultan, Khan had said, was a “member” of the Sharif family’s “gang”, which was why he had been given an extension of service for a third time. He alleged the IB chief had been told by the PML-N leadership to “minutely observe” which PML-N candidate could win their constituencies.
Interestingly, at the time of his appointment, Sultan himself was a suspect in a reference that the dirty money watchdog approved in 2020 against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for the “illegal” purchase of 73 high-security vehicles for the security of foreign dignitaries.
The suspects are accused of favouritism and illegal use of vehicles, causing a loss of over Rs1,952 million to the national exchequer.
NAB summons Imran, spouse, PTI leaders on Mar 9
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Bushra Bibi, the wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, and other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders in the Toshakhana case.
According to details, the accountability watchdog summoned Bushra Bibi and three other PTI leaders – Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry and Pervez Khattak – on March 9.
According to sources, the NAB has decided to send the investigation team to United Arab Emirates (UAE) for probe into Toshakhana case.
Earlier in the day, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) summoned former prime minister Imran Khan in Toshakhana case on March 9. The PTI chairman has been asked to appear before the anti-corruption watchdog on March 9 at 2:30 pm.
The summon notice – forwarded to Imran Khan – mentions six valuable watches. The iPhone gifted by Qatar’s Chief of Armed Staff is also included in the investigation
The development comes shortly after NAB Chairman Aftab Sultan resigned from the post citing personal reasons.
The case
The Toshakhana case has been splashed in headlines after the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified PTI Chairman Imran Khan for making “false statements and incorrect declaration” last month on October 21, 2022.
The ECP verdict said the former premier was found to be indulged in corrupt practices under sections 167 and 173 of the constitution. “A criminal proceeding will be initiated against him over filing a false statement.”
“As per the statement of Imran Khan he had purchased the gifts from Toshakhana paying 21.564 million rupees while the Cabinet Division said that the gifts had a value of 107.943 million.”
“The amount in his bank account was around half of the value of the state gifts. Imran Khan was bound to declare the cash and bank details in his returns but he didn’t declare it,” the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decision read.
‘Names of probables for new NAB chairman’
Following the resignation of Aftab Sultan, as NAB chairman on Tuesday, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government has started consultation for the new chairman.
According to sources, the coalition government is considering the names of Azam Suleman and Irfan Elahi for the coveted post.
Irfan Elahi is former federal secretary and had worked as chairman Planning and Development Department.
The other candidate Azam Suleman Khan is a retired Pakistani civil servant who is currently serving as the Ombudsman of Punjab. He previously served in BPS-22 grade as the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, Chief Secretary Punjab and as Chief Secretary Sindh.
The final decision on the Nab chairman slot would be made after consultation with the coalition partners.
The development comes hours after Aftab Sultan resigned as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman citing personal reasons.
