ISLAMABAD: The Pakis­tan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) filed in the Supreme Judi­cial Council (SJC) on Mon­day a reference seeking removal of National Accoun­tability Bureau (NAB) chai­rman Qamar Zaman Chaud­hry for not investigating alleged money laundering by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family following the Panama Papers leaks.

The reference was filed by PTI spokesman Fawad Hussain Chaudhry, who is also a lawyer of the Supreme Court.

“The reference has been filed in the light of the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Panama Papers case in which he (NAB chief) was held responsible for not investigating against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family involved in alleged money laundering,” he told Dawn.

“The present reference includes the following allegations against the chairman NAB for misconduct on his part in terms of Section 6 (b)(i) and (c) of the National Accountability Ordinance 1997, read with Article 209 and all other enabling provisions of the law and of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973,” the PTI spokesman said in the reference.

The PTI, he said, had decided to expose the black sheep sitting in the state institutions and it was high time NAB was reclaimed from the incompetent chairmanship of Qamar Zaman Chaudhry.

“The reference is based on the verdict issued by a larger bench of the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case. The five-member bench has raised several critical questions about the performance of NAB,” he added.

He argued in the plea that it was NAB chairman’s duty to eradicate corruption and corrupt practices from Pakistani politics and put under trail all those who had misused their authority, but he had failed to fulfil his legal responsibilities vested by the Constitution and, therefore, it would be absolutely fair to restrain him from performing his duty as head of the anti-corruption body. “Hence, the PTI demands immediate removal of the NAB chairman from his office.”

Fawad Chaudhry said that during the Panama Papers case proceedings, the NAB chief was found (by the apex court) guilty of glaring and stunning illegalities and violations of the code of conduct.

“The findings of the honourable judges in their respective notes as well as in the order of the court are such that the respondent must be stopped forthwith from dispensing his duties and removed from the office to face criminal proceedings for violating the law and the Constitution and for being disrespectful and dishonest to his legal obligations,” he added.

The PTI spokesman alleged that the NAB chairman had been involved in certain activities which could not be reconciled with the oath taken by him and against the judicial code of conduct.

The reference said: “It has been proven beyond doubt that the respondent being the NAB chairman did not act expeditiously and effectively to eradicate corruption and corrupt practices from the country but the has been instrumental to help the criminals and culprits in avoiding the trials in spite of having credible and reliable evidence against the incumbent prime minister and his family members, who have been found guilty and suspect of illegal and unlawful actions and misused and abused power and involved themselves in misappropriation of all kind, but his conduct is contradictory to his legal and constitutional duties.”

It said the apex court’s order rendered the NAB chairman straightaway disqualified from holding his incumbent post and provided lawful, cogent and plausible basis for his inability and ouster from his office by holding him guilty for being incompetent, naïve, disrespectful to the law and unable to perform his lawful duties.

“The respondent (NAB chairman) by virtue of his office can deter the fate of the hundreds of inquiries, investigations or litigations and any person with such a poor, dubious and murky track record can never be trusted and it will not be out of place to expect that the above said findings of the apex court are only the tip of the iceberg,” the PTI spokesman said.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2017