ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) stated on Wednesday that an inquiry is underway against Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz, who tendered his resignation on Tuesday.

Following his resignation, he took to his Twitter account stating: “We have been pushed to the wall with all powers taken back by the federal govt ... resigned after clearance of 2 references, audits & NAB inquiries.”

However, NAB, through an official press release clarified that the mayor has not yet been cleared in any inquiry and the investigation into alleged corruption and misuse of authority against the mayor is in process. No further details were shared and the mayor could not be reached for his comments in response.

Earlier, the mayor sent his resignation to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) dated Oct 1 which is yet to be notified by the federal government. The ECP stated that the government will issue a formal notification of the vacation of office.

According to PML-N chairmen in the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), after acceptance of the resignation, the commission is bound to hold elections for the post of mayor in 30 days. They said that the party is going to appoint senior Deputy Mayor Azam Khan as the acting mayor.

Govt yet to notify mayor’s resignation; local PML-N officials say they will replace Mr Aziz with Deputy Mayor Azam Khan

Mr Aziz, who served as a close aide to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, requested the federal government to take back major departments of the MCI and place them under administrative control of Capital Development Authority (CDA).

He had remained in a constant tussle with both the authority and federal government for the past few years over taking control of more of the CDA’s directorates, but on Oct 1, he surprised even his party chairmen by requesting the government clip the wings of the MCI, acting on which, the government after five days issued a notification placing almost all important directorates of MCI under the administrative control of CDA.

The very next day, the mayor announced his resignation. He stated: “MCI can no longer serve its dearest citizens. Better to quit if can’t help my people. I have resigned as Mayor Islamabad.”

Meanwhile, the PML-N which is engaged in a political scuffle with the PTI, has been quiet over the mayor’s surprise resignation. PML-N’s president in the capital Tariq Fazal Chaudhry is also silent on the matter as his office has not released a statement.

According to sources in the MCI, after getting input from the ECP, the mayor will send his resignation to the local government. Workers of the PML-N in the corporation are puzzled by the mayor’s decision to resign out of the blue. They said that if there was imperative, Mr Aziz should have resigned in protest but the way he submitted his resignation after asking the government to take back major departments of MCI surprised everyone.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2020