AFTAB Sultan, whom Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had described last July as “a man of impeccable integrity, having an impressive past record” — someone whose “credibility is beyond doubt” — has chosen to step down as chairman of the National Accountability Bureau, citing “interference” and “pressure”. Though Mr Sanaullah had ‘hoped’ at the time of Mr Sultan’s appointment that he would “steer the accountability drive without any partisanship”, it appears that some quarters had no intention of letting him work on those terms.
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The PTI claims that he had been under pressure to draw up corruption references against party chief Imran Khan, and quit because he refused to do so. A press release from the Prime Minister’s Office cited ‘personal reasons’, while also stating that the PM had appreciated Mr Sultan’s services, lauded his honesty and uprightness, and only accepted the resignation at the latter’s insistence.
Though NAB has been almost completely incapacitated since the PDM government passed legislation last year to render the country’s accountability laws toothless and ineffective, it is unfortunate to see that the temptation to continue to use the institution to target political opponents is still very much alive. Though Mr Sultan’s stay in office was short, he seems to have had some success in retrieving NAB from under the constant cloud of notoriety which had covered the institution during his predecessor’s tenure. It is commendable that he refused to let NAB once again become an accessory to political persecution.
There were reports that the retired bureaucrat would receive “dictation” through telephone calls, and had been greatly frustrated by the impression in the media that he had not been doing ‘enough’. How will NAB start acting now that he has left? With political activities once again heating up, those who had been ordering Mr Sultan around are unlikely to back down.
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It is a huge embarrassment for the government that Mr Sultan — a retired Grade-22 officer with a distinguished track record; who once stood up to a dictator and suffered for it — has decided to go home rather than continue to serve. Attention will now turn to who will be appointed as his replacement, and how. The PTI seems keen to return to parliament and take back the leadership of the opposition in the House from Raja Riaz Ahmed, who cannot be expected to act independently given his political leanings. Instead of insisting on appointing another NAB chairman against the spirit of the appointment process, the government should let the PTI take a seat at the table and decide on a name with mutual agreement. Given that some quarters are quite intent on continuing to use NAB for political persecution, it would be very damaging to the PDM’s credibility if it continues to act cynically on this matter.
Published in Dawn, February 23th, 2023