LAHORE: Zahir Shah, deputy chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), has been appointed as the acting head of the dirty money watchdog following the resignation of Aftab Sultan on Tuesday.
According to a notification issued by the bureau on Friday, Shah assumed the position from February 22 in accordance with the provision Section 6-B(V) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.
Shah previously served as the director general of operations of the bureau and was later appointed as its deputy chairman in October 2021. Having served with the agency for nearly 20 years, he brings a wealth of experience to his new role.
His appointment comes in the wake of Sultan’s sudden resignation who stepped down, after serving as the head of the agency for only seven months, reportedly after refusing to comply with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government which had allegedly asked him to build cases against 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.
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
This is not Shah’s first stint as acting chairman, as he previously held the position for a month in June 2022, prior to the appointment of Sultan.
