ISLAMABAD: Deadlock persisted between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah over the appointment of chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) during their fourth meeting in the federal capital on Thursday, DawnNews reported.

Speaking to media representatives following talks with the premier, Shah said the meeting focused on the names of Justice (retd) Mian Muhammad Ajmal and Justice (retd) Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry as nominees for the office of NAB chairman. He moreover said that there would be consultation between the leaders to review two additional names for the position.

Shah said meaningful consultations were underway for the appointment of a neutral chairman, adding that the judiciary should not interfere in the Parliament’s work and vice versa.

Separately, Shah said the two leaders had discussed the issue of rising prices of consumer goods.

Prime Minster Sharif and Khurshid Shah are scheduled to hold a fifth meeting tomorrow in order to reach a consensus over the appointment.

Earlier on September 13, the Supreme Court had noted that major operations of NAB had come to a halt in the absence of its chairman and had asked the government to make an appointment soon or get ready to face the consequences.

NAB chief retired Admiral Fasih Bokhari was removed by the Supreme Court on May 28, which declared his appointment illegal on a petition filed by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

The government had sought one week’s time to resolve the issue, but even after the lapse of about three weeks the two leaders failed to name the new NAB chairman.

The prime minister had proposed the name of Justice (retd) Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry for the top NAB slot.

But a source close to the opposition leader said Shah was hopeful that the government would agree to appoint his nominee Justice (retd) Mian Mohammad Ajmal as NAB chief.

The government had also initially proposed the names of Justice (retd) Rehmat Hussain Jaffery and former federal secretary Khwaja Zaheer Ahmed, while the opposition leader had suggested the names of Justice (retd) Bhagwandas and Justice (retd) Sardar Raza. But the two sides failed to agree on one name.