ISLAMABAD, Oct 26: Lt-Gen Khalid Maqbool relinquished the charge of Chairman National Accountability Bureau on Friday to assume his new assignment as the Governor Punjab in place of Lt-Gen (retd) Mohammad Safdar, an official source told Dawn.

Governor Punjab Mohammad Safdar was summoned to Islamabad earlier in the day and informed about the decision of his replacement, a source said.

Lt-Gen Khalid Maqbool will have to seek early retirement from military service for assuming the charge of Punjab governor.

Besides, he will have to seek an exemption from a law, which bars any government servant from assuming any civilian office within two years of his retirement.

This exemption was recently granted to Maj-Gen (retd) Sardar Mohammad Anwer Khan before his nomination as President of Azad Kashmir.

Lt-Gen Munir Hafeez, presently serving as a Corps Commander, Bahawalpur, has been tipped as the new chairman of NAB.

Maj-Gen Shahid Hameed, who is serving as the commandant Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul, has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General and given the charge of Corps Commander, Bahawalpur, the source said.

An ISPR press release later confirmed the report of his promotion but made no mention about other changes being made by the government.

The change in the office of chairman NAB, sources said, was in contravention of the Supreme Court verdict in the NAB ordinance case, in which the apex court had fixed the tenure of the chairman at three years and asked the government to appoint the new chief in consultation of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.