National Accountability Bureau Issue: Court Admits Plea Against PM
The Lahore High Court has overruled a registrar office objection and admitted for preliminary hearing a petition against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for allegedly undermining the independence of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Advocate Gohar Nawaz Sindhu of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Lawyers’ Wing told the court that he filed the petition afresh with an amendment desired by the court. However, the office put another objection on the maintainability of the petition.
He said the office was of the view that the PM enjoyed constitutional immunity and no writ petition could be filed against him.
Justice Shahid Waheed overruled the objection and asked the office to fix the petition before any appropriate bench for preliminary hearing.
Advocate Sindhu stated in his petition that the court should restrain the PM from interfering in the affairs of the NAB. He said the NAB was an independent institution and had the powers to hold investigation against any person involved in corrupt practices.
The lawyer further said the PM recently issued a ‘warning’ to the NAB chairman during a public address and tried to influence the institution. He pleaded the PM tried to prejudice the bureau’s investigation in several mega corruption cases by passing a ‘critical comment’.
The petitioner-lawyer asked the court to issue a restraining order against the prime minister so he could not interfere in the affairs of the NAB next time.
This news was previously published in DAWN and it is being republished here with permission.
