• President summons National Assembly, Senate sessions; houses to adopt resolutions on Kashmir
• Opposition expected to raise concern over Imran’s health, delay in ECP chief appointment
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned separate sessions of both houses of parliament on February 2, which are likely take up an amendment related to the National Accountability Ordinance to allow the incumbent NAB chief to remain in office beyond his term set to expire in the first week of March, said sources.
The agenda of these sessions has not been shared but insiders said the NAB amendment would be the sessions’ highlight to pave the way for the incumbent NAB chairman to remain at the helm until the appointment of his successor. Retired Lt Gen Nazir Ahmad became the NAB chairman on March 4, 2023, for three years after his predecessor Aftab Sultan resigned citing “interference” and “pressure” as the reasons for his departure. The opposition PTI had claimed Mr Sultan was being coerced to file corruption references against its chief Imran Khan.
As per the law, the NAB chief is appointed through consultations between the prime minister and the opposition leader, which is supposed to start two months before the expiry of the term and be completed within 45 days. This means the process should have been started in the first week of January, but it never did.
If there is no consensus, the names proposed by the PM and the opposition leader are to be forwarded to the parliamentary committee for the final decision. “Provided that the leader of the house and leader of the opposition shall propose two names each for consideration of the parliamentary committee,” a proviso to the law reads.
“The parliamentary committee under clause (ii) shall be constituted by the speaker, National Assembly, comprising fifty percent members from the treasury benches and fifty percent from the opposition benches, based on their strength in Majlis e Shoora (parliament), to be nominated by the respective parliamentary leaders,” the law reads.
The committee is required to recommend the name of the chairman no later than thirty days. “The total strength of the parliamentary committee shall be twelve members out of which one third shall be from the Senate. If the National Assembly stands dissolved at the material time, all the members of the committee shall be from the Senate,” the law says.
“The chairman shall, on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the federal government, hold office for a non-extendable term of three years and shall not be eligible for subsequent appointment as chairman and shall not be removed from office except on the grounds and in the manner as provided in Article 209 of the Constitution,” the law reads.
According to a source, the upcoming sessions will, however, likely amend this law on the pattern of a provision in the 26th Amendment that allowed the chief election commissioner and two ECP members to continue even after the expiry of their term, while keeping the appointment process on hold.Sources said both houses will also adopt resolutions in connection with Kashmir solidarity day, observed every year on February 5.
Meanwhile, the opposition is also likely to raise the issues of delay in the commencement of the process for the appointment of a new chief election commissioner and two ECP members who continue to hold offices over a year after the expiry of their original term. Moreover, matters related to the health of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan will also come up during the proceedings.
Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2026
