ISLAMABAD – In compliance with the Supreme Court directions, Chairman National Accountability Bureau Naveed Ahsan on Saturday removed Additional Prosecutor General NAB Abdul Basir Qureshi from his post while moved a summary to Prime Minister Gilani for the dismissal of Prosecutor General NAB Dr Danishwar Malik.
Sources in NAB informed TheNation that Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday admonished the Chairman NAB for non-compliance with the court orders including opening of Swiss cases and had given him two days to implement the court orders.
The sources further informed that Chairman NAB soon after returning from the Supreme Court swiftly moved to comply with the court orders and even sat in his office on Saturday, otherwise it was a weekly holiday in the department.
He issued termination orders of Additional Prosecutor General NAB Abdul Basir Qureshi while moved summary to Prime Minister for removal of Prosecutor General NAB Dr Danishwar Malik.
Under the NAB law, there was a set criterion for the removal of Prosecutor General and only the Supreme Judicial Council could remove him from the office after examining the reference filed against him from removal of service by the Government.
In the summary dispatched to the Prime Minister, it was stated that as the apex court in its verdict in NRO case had directed for immediate removal of Prosecutor General and Additional Prosecutor General from service for concealing facts from the court and not extending cooperation to the court in dispensation of justice so he was moving the same for compliance.
The sources in NAB informed that now acting as per the court direction, Chairman NAB had expressed his resolve that he would go by the book and would comply with the apex courtÂ’s direction in true letter and spirit. The sources further disclosed that Chairman NAB recalled that at the time of handing down of verdict in NRO case, he had not wasted any time in reopening of all the cases withdrawn under the NRO.
As NAB could not reopen Swiss cases on its own, so it had written to the Federal Ministry of Law for the same and the matter was pending with the Ministry and not with the NAB. The sources further informed that the Chairman NAB even had directed for freezing of the assets of President Zardari associated with various corruption references in the light of the apex court verdict and left the matter of immunity of President to be settled by the court.
Additional Prosecutor General Abdul Basir Qureshi, when contacted, told that he neither received any notice nor had any information about his dismissal and termed it baseless and unfounded.
Bear Creek 2009 by Chapman