Federal cabinet appoints two top NAB officials

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet has approved the appointment of two officials for the top slots in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar, endorsed the appointment of Sahil Naseer, a former judge of the Lahore High Court, as the NAB Deputy Chairman. It also approved the appointment of Syed Ihtesham Qadir Shah as the NAB Prosecutor General.

Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi and Privatisation Minister Fawad Hasan briefed the media on the key outcomes and points discussed at the cabinet meeting.

Solangi said that the cabinet strongly condemned the recent Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and called for an immediate cessation of these actions.

He said that the cabinet emphasised the need to resolve the Palestinian issue in accordance with the United Nations resolutions and urged an end to the unjust blockade of Gaza Strip to provide relief to those under siege. The cabinet also stressed the importance of establishing an independent Palestinian state, he added.

Solangi stated that Pakistan would play an active role in the international efforts regarding the situation in Gaza.

He said that as a gesture to strengthen Pakistan-China relations, Brigadier Shahid Aamir was authorised to receive a medal on behalf of China.

The cabinet also granted approval to acquire the services of a Consortium for financial advisory services for Pakistan International Airline (PIA).

Fawad Hasan highlighted the significant financial losses suffered by the PIA, with monthly losses of Rs12.77 billion and total losses of Rs750 billion.

He assured that no PIA employees would face unemployment after the privatisation process.

Moreover, the cabinet ratified the decisions made during the Economic Coordination Committee meeting on October 3, 2023.

Solangi also clarified that no actions were being taken against Afghan citizens who have been living in Pakistan for the past 40 years, as long as they have valid Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.

He said that for illegal foreign residents without visas or legal documents, a voluntary repatriation deadline had been set for October 31, 2023. He said that a large number of such individuals had started the process of returning to their home countries.