Following Shahzad Akbar’s resignation as the prime minister’s adviser on accountability and the interior, the administration wasted no time in appointing former National Accountability Bureau director-general Brig (retired) Musaddiq Abbasi as his replacement on Wednesday.
The Cabinet Secretariat issued the following statement, which Dawn.com has obtained a copy of:
“In exercise of the authorities provided by clause (1) of Article 93 of the Constitution […], the president has been pleased to appoint Brig (retired) Musaddiq Abbasi as an adviser to the prime minister on accountability and interior with immediate effect, on the advice of the prime minister.”
After announcing his resignation on Monday, Akbar stated that he would continue to be engaged with the PTI.
“I truly hope that the accountability process continues under PM Imran’s leadership, as promised in the PTI’s manifesto.” He stated, “I will remain linked with the party and continue to contribute as a member of the legal fraternity.”
However, it was then revealed that PM Imran was dissatisfied with the performance of the man he hand-picked to head the fight against his biggest political opponents, the PML-N and PPP leadership.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the prime minister had lost faith in Akbar, who had failed to bring the corruption charges against the Sharif family and others to a logical end, in the prime minister’s opinion.
“Akbar promised the prime minister that during the first three years of the government’s tenure, he would bring back the laundered and looted cash,” a source close to the prime minister claimed.
According to the source, politicians on both sides of the aisle have begun to criticise the prime minister for his failure to prosecute corrupt former rulers or reclaim the cash they allegedly stashed overseas.
Fawad Chaudhry, the Information Minister, later claimed that Akbar had operated under “extreme pressure.”
“Taking on mafias is difficult, but the way you worked and handled the situations is commendable. “Now you have more essential work to do,” he remarked.
