ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif should not stay out of the country on the pretext of his wife?s illness, but should instead face the references filed against him with National Accountability Bureau (NAB), said opposition leader Khursheed Shah.

While addressing the media on Monday, Shah said they prayed for the health of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, who was undergoing treatment for throat cancer in London, but it was not right for Nawaz to stay out of the country.

He also decried NAB for not taking action against the Sharifs, saying the bureau has added many names on the Exit Control List (ECL) but did not do so for the family members in question.

Since the NAB chairperson is due to retire soon, Shah said the prime minister has not started holding consultative meetings regarding the matter.

?I will personally hold consultative sessions with political parties,? the opposition leader said. ?The consultative process should have started three months before chairperson NAB?s retirement.?

Shah added he assured the public that the new chairperson would be hired on the basis of merit.

When asked what reservations Pakistan Peoples Party?s has regarding Sindh IGP AD Khawaja, Shah said his party wants all departments to work within their ambit.

?We want the judiciary, establishment and provincial government to do their respective work.? 

The opposition leader had earlier said that the courts can give directions but not dictate terms.

He had said the issue of the Sindh inspector general (IG) is a governance matter, adding that if the courts start handling administrative affairs then it can lead to trouble.

"Courts can work while staying within their jurisdiction," he argued.