The federal government has appointed Lieutenant General (retd) Nazir Ahmad as the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) chairman for a three-year term. The post of the NAB chairman fell vacant on 15 February after Aftab Sultan tendered his resignation — which was then accepted by prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on 23 February 23.
In a notification, the Ministry of Law and Justice said that the appointment had been made by the federal government after the constitutionally-mandated consultations between the prime minister and the leader of the opposition in the national assembly, Raja Riaz. After “detailed deliberations”, both leaders agreed on the appointment of Lt. Gen. (retired) Ahmad.
The post of NAB chairman fell after the resignation tendered by Aftab Sultan. In the absence of a chairman, NAB deputy chairman Zahir Shah was looking after the anti-corruption agency's day-to-day affairs.
The newly appointed NAB chairman shall hold office for a “non-extendable term of three years” and will not be eligible for subsequent appointment, according to the law ministry. It is also not possible to remove the chairman from office except on the grounds and in the manner as provided in Article 209 of the Constitution, the notification added.
Nazeer Ahmed was commissioned in the 40 Frontier Force (FF) regiment of the Pakistan Army in 1983. He is a graduate of the Command and Staff College, Quetta, and the National Defence University, Islamabad.
Prior to his appointment as Peshawar corps commander in December 2016, he served as commandant of the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA). He has also commanded an infantry division in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province today.
Lt. Gen. (retired) Ahmad's predecessor Aftab Sultan had tendered his resignation as NAB's chief after reportedly refusing to "toe the line". Sultan had been appointed as NAB's head on 21 July 2022, for three years by the incumbent Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government after Justice (retired) Javed Iqbal’s tenure ended last year.
Sultan had also reportedly withdrawn the powers that NAB director-generals (DGs) previously had to issue arrest warrants, ostensibly to avoid misuse of authority by those officials.
In a notification, the Ministry of Law and Justice said that the appointment had been made by the federal government after the constitutionally-mandated consultations between the prime minister and the leader of the opposition in the national assembly, Raja Riaz. After “detailed deliberations”, both leaders agreed on the appointment of Lt. Gen. (retired) Ahmad.
The post of NAB chairman fell after the resignation tendered by Aftab Sultan. In the absence of a chairman, NAB deputy chairman Zahir Shah was looking after the anti-corruption agency's day-to-day affairs.
The newly appointed NAB chairman shall hold office for a “non-extendable term of three years” and will not be eligible for subsequent appointment, according to the law ministry. It is also not possible to remove the chairman from office except on the grounds and in the manner as provided in Article 209 of the Constitution, the notification added.
Nazeer Ahmed was commissioned in the 40 Frontier Force (FF) regiment of the Pakistan Army in 1983. He is a graduate of the Command and Staff College, Quetta, and the National Defence University, Islamabad.
Prior to his appointment as Peshawar corps commander in December 2016, he served as commandant of the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA). He has also commanded an infantry division in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province today.
Lt. Gen. (retired) Ahmad's predecessor Aftab Sultan had tendered his resignation as NAB's chief after reportedly refusing to "toe the line". Sultan had been appointed as NAB's head on 21 July 2022, for three years by the incumbent Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government after Justice (retired) Javed Iqbal’s tenure ended last year.
Sultan had also reportedly withdrawn the powers that NAB director-generals (DGs) previously had to issue arrest warrants, ostensibly to avoid misuse of authority by those officials.