Former SC judge Maqbool Baqar likely to be NAB chairman

ISLAMABAD: Government and coalition partners have agreed on naming Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar as new Chairman of National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

According to reports, Justice Baqar’s name was considered during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

All parties of the coalition government and current Leader of Opposition Raja Riaz have also agreed that he is the most suitable candidate for the position.

Maqbool Baqar’s name was being considered along with another retired judge, Justice (retd) Dost Muhammad Khan. The coalition parties could not agree on the name of forrmer bureaucrat Fawad Hussain Fawad.

PTI leader and former federal information minister Fawad Chaudhry told the media outside the Islamabad High Court that a “puppet [Raja Riaz] has been appointed as a dummy opposition leader”.

He added that the nominations for the NAB chairman were being finalised. “Justice Maqbool Baqir is a reasonable man. Hopefully, he will not be a part of this process,” he added.

Justice Baqar had been promoted from the Sindh High Court to the Supreme Court. He retired as a judge of the SC on April 4, 2022. He is considered to be an independent judge with an immaculate record.