PPL MD appointment: Ex-PM Abbasi appears before NAB, gets questionnaire

RAWALPINDI: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi appeared on Monday before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a new inquiry regarding appointment of managing director of Pakistan Petroleum.

He was handed a questionnaire consisting of 26 questions and is required to file his reply within two weeks.

Ex-PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has been asked to explain his and Arshad Mirza‘s role in the appointment of Syed Wamiq Bokhari as the Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) managing director.

The PML-N leader is further required to explain why services of a consultant were sought for the appointment. “Was Wamiq Bokhari not eligible for the top PPL post?” the NAB has asked Abbasi.

The bureau questioned if the rules were relaxed for Bokhari’s appointment.

The corruption watchdog will decide whether to summon the former premier again or not after he files his reply.

The inquiry pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and illegal appointment of Syed Wamiq Bokhari as its managing director.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is alleged to played a role in the appointment of Bokhari during his stint as petroleum minister.

The PML-N leader is already facing two references instituted by the bureau. One of them pertains to alleged illegal appointments in the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) while the other is related to the award of a LNG Terminal-I contract to a firm at Port Qasim Karachi at exorbitant rates.