Bahadur Shah made KP Member Nepra

ISLAMABAD: The government has appointed Engineer Bahadur Shah as the KP Member Nepra amid news that he faces NAB cases which is negation of the Nepra Act that emphasises a member’s integrity.

However, when this reporter contacted Bahadur Shah for confirmation if he had been appointed as the KP member NEPRA, he blatantly denied facing any case against in the NAB, Peshawar.

He said there had never been any case against him in the past nor was he presently facing any NAB case. He said such news were emanating from some people because of professional jealously.

“My past is unblemished and my person comes up to the standards as per the Nepra Act,” he said. However, Shah admitted that he was now 58 and will be the Nepra member for only two years against the 4-year tenure.

He said the process to increase the age limit for a member was active somewhere at the federal government level and he hoped to get extension after completing two years if the bar of 60 years limit was removed by that time.

To a question, Mr Shah said the process for his retirement from government service had started, enabling him to join the Nepra. Asked as to why the Cabinet Division took more than one month to appoint him as the KP member Nepra, as he had been nominated in early March 2019 by the KP government, he said under the process the federal ministry concerned gave its input, then it went to the Cabinet Division which marked the summary for approval prior to issuance of a notification.

A notification issued on April 19, 2019, a copy of which is available with this reporter, says the federal government is pleased to appoint Engineer Bahadur Shah, GM Hydel, PEDO as Member National Electric Power Regulatory Authority from the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with immediate effect and until further orders.

Shah said he had 35-year experience in the energy sector and got his MS Engineering degree from Birmingham University, UK. With the appointment of KP member, the Nepra now will have four members each from every province.