President Arif Alvi approved on Wednesday the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, under which NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal will remain on the post until a new appointment is made.

According to the amendment, the new NAB chairman will be appointed for a period of four years. The chairman's term can be extended as per the amended ordinance.

As per the ordinance, the president will appoint the NAB chairman after consulting the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

In case there is no consensus on the appointment, the issue will go before a 12-member parliamentary committee formed to deal with the issue of the NAB chairman's appointment.

PM Imran will not consult Shehbaz Sharif on NAB chairman appointment: Fawad

After the passage of the ordinance, the president has the authority to establish as many accountability courts as he considers necessary.

The ordinance states that Judges to the accountability courts will be appointed for a three-year period.

Govt decides to extend NAB chief’s tenure

Earlier, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will not consult with Shehbaz Sharif, leader of the opposition, over the appointment of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman.

"If the opposition wants us to consult with the leader of the opposition, they [opposition] should change the leader of the opposition," he emphasized.