ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday decided to resume hearing in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s plea challenging the legality of amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999 on May 16 (Tuesday).
Almost a year ago, former prime minister and the PTI Chairman Imran Khan invoked the top court’s jurisdiction against amendments to the NAO under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution terming the amendments in the law as sheer violation of the Constitution.
The petition has been filed through renowned lawyer Khawaja Haris, who was former premier Nawaz Sharif’s counsel in the Panamagate case.
A three-member bench of the top court comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah will resume hearing of the matter.
The petitioner urged the top court to adjudicate upon a question of “great public importance with reference to the enforcement of fundamental rights of citizens under Articles 9 (security of a person), 14 (inviolability of dignity of a man, etc), 19A (right to information), 24 (protection of property rights) and 25 (equality of citizens).
The petitioner submitted that the amendment is “a manoeuvre by the bulk of the holders of public office to assume control over and influence the impartiality of NAB chairman.”
Filing the plea, the petitioner made the Federation of Pakistan, through its secretary Law and Justice Division, and the NAB, through its chairman, as respondents in the case.
It is pertinent that during last May, the National Assembly had passed bills to abolish the PTI government’s election reforms giving overseas Pakistanis the right to vote through electronic voting machines (EVMs), as well as the NAB laws. After the President Dr Arif Alvi refused to sign the bills, the joint session of the Parliament had passed the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill 2021 and Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
After the joint sitting’s approval, the bills were sent once again to the president for approval. President Arif Alvi refused to sign the bill, saying that the implementation was “misused for political exigencies by those in power and by vested interests”.
As per the NAB (Second Amendment) Bill 2021, the bureau’s deputy chairman, to be appointed by the federal government, would become the acting chairman of NAB following the completion of the tenure of the chairman.
The bill has also reduced the four-year term of the NAB chairman and the bureau’s prosecutor general to three years. The bill states that regulatory bodies functioning in the country have also been placed out of NAB’s jurisdiction.
