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ISLAMABAD - AHMAD AHMADANI - Chairman National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) Habib Ullah Khilji, has resigned from the lucrative slot following the emergence of serious controversy within the power regulatory authority over his appointment by the Federal government under a stop-gap arrangement.
Sources privy to the development informed this scribe that acting Chairman NEPRA Habibullah Khilji, has resigned from the responsible slot following the appearance of controversy among members of NEPRA.
They said Khilji has dispatched his resignation to the Establishment Division, which would be accepted by Prime Minister very soon as the government is interested to appoint a fulltime Chairman in accordance with the NEPRA Act.
"Amid worsening energy crisis, the government gurus, while desperately following the legacy of nepotism and favourite appointments, are ostensibly dying like anything to get a blue-eyed elevated on a lucrative slot as Chairman NEPRA, the sources said, adding, that It is likely that Habibullah Khilji would be made Chairman NEPRA.  
When contacted with NEPRA spokesman Safeer Hussain, who is also registrar of the regulator said he is unaware about the development so he is unable to comment on the info. Habib Ullah Khilji did not bother to come up with his stance despite dropping text message to his cell number. And, same was happened when attempted by this scribe to get the version of Tamur Azmat Secretary Establishment Division on the said matter.
Earlier, in November 2012, after the appointment of Habib Ullah Khilji member, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), representing the province of Sindh as Chairman NEPRA under a stop gap arrangement through a notification No.1/15/2001-E-6 issued by Establishment Division on the orders of Prime Minister, some members at the authority refused to sit with the new Chairman in decision making proceedings arguing that the legal department of NEPRA had termed the development illegal.
The members were of the view that the assigning of post of Nepra Chairman to Habibullah Khilji a negation of the Act.
It merits mentioning here that under the Nepra Act, Nepra shall consist of a Chairman and 4 members, one from each province. The law further provides that the members' appointment would be made by the Federal Government after considering the recommendations of the respective provincial governments. Chairman of Nepra is appointed for four years and in his absence, the Vice Chairman can act as Chairman. According to Nepra Act:
(3) The Chairman shall be an eminent professional of known integrity and competence with at least 20 years of related experience in law, business, engineering, finance, accounting, economics, or the power industry.
(5) The Chairman and a member shall, unless he resigns or is removed from office earlier as hereinafter provided, hold office for a term of four years and shall be eligible for re-appointment for similar term: And the meetings of the Authority shall be presided over by the Chairman or, in his absence, the Vice-Chairman.