ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-N has rejected the nomination of former naval chief Admiral (retd) Fasih Bokhari as chairman of the National Accountability Bureau, but without raising any objection to his person, sources in the party told Dawn.

In a letter sent to President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is learnt to have said that Mr Bokhari’s appointment was not acceptable to his party because the constitutional process hadnot been followed “in letter”.

Drafted by Zahid Hamid, the party’s legal wizard and former minister in the Musharraf regime, the letter was sent by ChaudhryNisar in line with a decision taken on Wednesday at a consultative meeting presided over by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad.

According to the sources, the PML-N leadership had decided not to reject Mr Bokhari’s nomination outright, but raise objection only to the process followed by the government for his appointment.

The letter, the sources said, referred to various Supreme Court rulings to stress that consultation with the leader of opposition was mandatory for the appointment of NAB chairman.

Chaudhry Nisar is learnt to have told the president that under the 18th Amendment, the government was required to send him the names of a panel of three probable candidates for the office.