Islamabad, Sept 11: Islamabad High Court (IHC) On Tuesday dismissed the petitions of 14 senior officials of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed against the three high profile appointments made in the bureau by their incumbent chairman admiral (retired) Fasih Bokhari.

IHC Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi resumed hearing of the petition of NAB officials in which they challenged the appointments of Khursheed Anwer Bhinder director general NAB (Punjab), Wajid Durrani director general NAB (Sindh) and Kausar Iqbal Malik director general (HR).

Raja Amir Abbas counsel of NAB officials told the court that his client did not want to pursue their petition and instructed him for withdrawal of the petition.

He also submitted to the court a letter signed by all the 14 petitioners in which they expressed complete faith in their chairman and stated that they are withdrawing the petition after the chairman assured them to redress their grievances.

The withdrawal letter submitted to the court was signed by-brigadier (retired) Musaddiq Abbasi DG NAB Headquarters Islamabad, Col (retired) Khursheed Alam acting DG Peshawar, Lt-Col (retired) Shahzad Anwar Bhatti acting DG operations NAB Headquarters Islamabad, Col (retired) Subha Sadiq Malik acting DG NAB Rawalpindi, Lt-Col (retired) Sirajul Naeem acting DG training, Major (retired) Syed Burhan Ali acting DG Quetta, Major (retired) Shabbir Ahmed acting DG Karachi, Faizullah Khan and Major (retired) Shahzad Saleem directors NAB Rawalpindi, Major (retired) Tariq Mehmood Malik, Zahir Shah, Mirza Mohammad Irfan Baig and Raza Khan acting directors NAB Islamabad.

According to the petition of NAB officials which was filed in June, the high profile appointment of favourite persons had blocked the promotion of the petitioners.

The petition said that the appointments were being made in excess of any predefined and allocated quota reserved for initial appointments and promotion, adding that, according to the quota, the bureau’s authorities could made 25 per cent initial appoint from outside while 75 per cent positions could only be filled through promotion.

It alleged that the chairman NAB and DG (HR) were making illegal appointments and favouring their blue-eyed persons and this amounted to discrimination as provided under article 25 of the constitution.

The blatant misuse of authority by the respondents – chairman NAB and director general (HR) – has been defined and termed as an offence under the NAB ordinance, 1999 and ironically people who are supposed to charge culprits for the said offence are themselves committing the same, the petition said and added, NAB is supposed to be transparent, across the board working organisation bringing no wrong to anyone and if justice and fair play is not dispensed to their own employees how it can ensure it to others.

According to the petition, the bureau instead of convening the promotion board and promoting the hardworking and eligible officers is inducting irrelevant and retired persons on the key posts.