ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) was moved on Monday against the appointment of Shahzad Akbar as Advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior. A single bench of Chief Justice Athar Minallah will hear the petition moved by a lawyer, Syed Pervez Zahoor Advocate on Tuesday (today).
Zahoor has cited Prime Minister of Pakistan through secretary to the PM, secretary Cabinet Division, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, and chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as respondents. The petitioner assailed the appointment of Shahzad Akbar, saying it was made by the prime minister in an arbitrary and whimsical manner as advisor to the prime minister with status of the federal minister as well as chairman Assets Recovery Unit.
Zahoor has invoked the constitutional jurisdiction of the court for issuance of appropriate writs against the "illegal appointment" of Akbar. He stated that the appointment was "unconstitutional" and a "burden" on the debt-trapped national economy.
He adopted that it was the worst example of favoritism, nepotism, conflict of interest and violation of oath of the prime minister as contained in the Third Schedule of the Constitution. Zahoor contended that all powers and function under the Constitution were vested to the Federal Government and the appointments on behalf of Federal Government could not be made by the prime minister under Rule 4(6) of the Rules of Business 1973, without following a due process of law as provided in the Constitution.
He argued that there was no doubt that the Respondent No 3 as Advisor on NAB with the status of the federal minister and chairman Asset Recovery Unit was serving the interests of his political master i.e. the Respondent No 1 or his own self. The petitioner prayed before the court to declare appointment of Shehzad Akbar as chairman Recovery Unit and Advisor on Accountability, and conferring upon him the status of the federal minister as illegal and ultra vires to the law and the Constitution.
He also requested the court to restrain Akbar from performance of any type of official functions or exercise of any official power under any law, rule or the Constitution.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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