Interviews started for AGP, NAB chairman, ARU head: sources

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has started interviews for the position of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, the attorney general of Pakistan (AGP) and the head of the Assets Recovery Unit (ARU).

The federal government has started working on the appointments of the attorney general and NAB chairman who have completed their tenure, whereas, the top position of ARU has also vacated after the resignation of Shahzad Akbar, who was serving as the adviser to the prime minister on accountability.

Sources said that interviews have been lined up for the candidates for the positions and the successful candidates will be appointed on the posts.

It may be noted that the NAB chairman and AGP have been given special permission to continue their services following a legal amendment by the federal government that allows the office-bearers to continue their tasks until the new appointment.

Shahzad Akbar had tendered his resignation on Monday from the position of the adviser to the prime minister on accountability and interior besides announcing to remain associated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

The resignation of Shahzad Akbar is not the first incident in Pakistan as previously, the heads of accountability had met the same fate. His resignation from his position recalled the political history of Pakistan in which the fate of the then heads of accountability was not different than the current one.

Shahzad Akbar’s resignation: What was the fate of previous heads of accountability?

During the tenure of Nawaz Sharif, then Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) government had formed an accountability bureau under the chair of Saifur Rehman to initiate crackdowns against the ‘corrupt elements’.

The accountability bureau had been actively scrutinizing and arresting people in the name of accountability, most of them were associated with opposition parties including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). At that time, the bureau had once nabbed a former CDA chairman of PPP-era named Shafi Sehwani who died of cardiac arrest on the next day of arrest.

However, the accountability bureau of Nawaz Sharif tenure has become a history.

Najam Sethi had become an accountability czar in a caretaker set up after the dissolution of Benazir Bhutto late led government by Farooq Leghari. Sethi had headed the accountability campaign under the then caretaker government at that time.

Interestingly, Sethi is now seen praising the PPP’s top leaders, Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, on TV these days. The outcomes of then accountability campaign have not been discussed these days.

However, the accountability practices bore no fruit to eliminate corruption from the country. The history has been repeated once again in the shape of Shahzad Akbar’s resignation.

A question arises after the development of whether the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will be able to uproot the menace of corruption from the country or its accountability efforts will go in vain again.