Can’t ask NAB to probe minister on someone’s request: Supreme Court

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) dismissed a contempt petition Monday filed against NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal as non-maintainable.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Umer Ata Bandial heard a case regarding implementation of order of Lahore High Court pertaining to completion of inquiry into the Federal Minister Khusro Bakhtiar assets case. The court dismissed the petition with the observation that it cannot ask the anti-graft body to conduct an inquiry against a political figure or federal minister on the request of someone. Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed observed that the learned Lahore High Court itself did not consider the instant matter as contempt then how could we say that contempt has been made against its order.

Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, another member of the bench, observed as to where it was mentioned in law that a contempt proceeding will follow when an inquiry is not completed. Arguing before the court in-person the petitioner Ahsan Abid submitted before the court that the NAB had given its statement in May 2020 in the Lahore High Court about completing an inquiry within three months against federal minister Khusro Bakhtiar; however, the NAB could not complete the inquiry. He pleaded before the court to initiate contempt proceedings against NAB chairman for not completing the inquiry against the federal Minister. However, Justice Qazi Amin Ahmed observed that the high court did not talk about contempt proceedings.

NAB’s Deputy Prosecutor Imranul Haq told the court that after completing an inquiry against Federal Minister Khusro Bakhtiar, the NAB Lahore had sent its recommendations to the NAB Headquarters and the now the executive board meeting will decide on report submitted by the NAB Lahore.

The court asked the petitioner if he had any personal grudge with the federal minister to which the petitioner replied in negative but said he had filed the case in the public interest. Meanwhile, Justice Umer Ata Bandial observed that they neither interfere in the matters of NAB nor ask it on someone’s request to initiate an inquiry against a federal minister. Later, the court dismissed the petition.