LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file a reference against commissioner of the Overseas Pakistanis Commission Punjab Afzal Bhatti for his unlawful appointment.

Earlier, NAB-Lahore Director General Saleem Shahzad told a three-judge bench that the appointment of Mr Bhatti was not in line with the rules.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was hearing a suo motu case regarding misappropriation in purchase section of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC). Mr Bhatti was one of the members of the PIC board of management and his appointment as Overseas Pakistanis commissioner came under scrutiny on the previous hearing.

The NAB officer stated that Mr Bhatti served as secretary to then prime minister Nawaz Sharif from 2011 to 2013 and later as political secretary to then chief minister Shahbaz Sharif till his appointment at the commission. He said Mr Bhatti had so far received a sum of Rs13.55 million on account of salary. He confirmed that Shahbaz had approved the appointment of Mr Bhatti as commissioner.

When asked by the court, Mr Bhatti revealed that he was born in London to Pakistani parents and returned to Pakistan in 2011.

To a court’s query whether he held dual nationality, Mr Bhatti said he possessed National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis.

Chief Justice Nisar observed that Pakistan was not a safe haven for plunderers where anyone could come to loot public money with impunity.

He ordered the NAB authorities to file a reference against Afzal Bhatti and inquired about his salary.

“Do you know that the Supreme Court has established a fund for the construction of dams,” the chief justice asked Mr Bhatti and told him that all the salaries he received would be recovered and deposited in this fund.

The chief justice directed the NAB to file a reference against Mr Bhatti when he opted to contest the inquiry report of the bureau.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2018