In its April 20th judgment, the Supreme Court had asked heads of six federal institutions – SECP, SBP, NAB, FIA, ISI and MI – to “communicate names of their nominees within seven days … which shall be placed before the Special Bench for perusal/approval”. By April 26th, all of the above-mentioned institutions had sent in three nominations each. In the hearing on 27th, the Supreme Court raised objections on nominees of SECP, SBP and NAB, and directed the three institutions to submit two more nominees each. Later that day, it appears from media reports that heads of SECP, SBP and NAB all received phone calls from the SCP registrar asking them to include following persons in their two-person lists: Bilal Rasool from SECP, Amir Aziz from SBP and Irfan Mangi from NAB. In the lists submitted on 28th, NAB seems to have complied with the unofficial, suspicious-sounding request by including Mr. Mangi’s name. SECP and SBP, however, did not include the names given to them during the suspicious call. On the May 4th hearing, the judges rejected SECP and SBP nominees and asked heads of the two institutions to appear in person the next day along with a list of all officers in Grade 18 and above. On May 5th, when the lists comprising several dozen officers were presented, the judges selected the same people whose names, according to media reports, had been recommended in suspicious phone calls: Bilal Rasool and Amir Aziz.
Published in Daily Times, July 3rd, 2017.
