Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court has stopped the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) from taking action against the Director General of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore Shahzad Saleem.
Acting Chief Islamabad High Court Justice Amir Farooq heard the application of DG NAB Lahore Shahzad Saleem against the Public Accounts Committee in Islamabad High Court.
It should be noted that Director General NAB Lahore Shehzad Saleem filed an application in the Islamabad High Court last week against summoning the Public Accounts Committee on serious allegations of harassment by Tayyaba Gul.
It should be noted that last few days, Tayyaba Gul revealed on oath in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly that the officials of the Accountability Bureau treated her inhumanely and even searched her.
On Tayyaba Gul’s allegations, Chairman PAC Noor Alam Khan summoned the current chairman of Missing Persons Commission and former head of NAB, Justice Retired Javed Iqbal and other officers before the committee.
During the hearing, Special Prosecutor Jahanzeb Bharwana appeared on behalf of NAB, while Deputy Attorney General Arshad Mehmood Kayani appeared before the court on behalf of the federal government.
In response to the question of the court as to how the court should interfere in the parliamentary matter, NAB argued that the parliament does not have absolute immunity under Article 69, now there is a decision of the Supreme Court on the extent of parliamentary immunity.
The NAB prosecutor argued that the issue here is the irregularity of the Public Accounts Committee.
Acting Chief Justice Amir Farooq remarked that the Public Accounts Committee also comes within the Parliament, on which the Special Prosecutor NAB said that only the proceedings of the Parliament are exempted.
The court issued a notice to the Public Accounts Committee on the request of DG NAB Lahore Shahzad Saleem, while the request of the Deputy Attorney General not to give notice to PAC was rejected. Whether or not an officer has the power to summon an official on any matter other than pass funds.
The Deputy Attorney General had taken the position that notice to PAC means notice to Chairman PAC, on which Justice Amir Farooq remarked that you should talk like educated people, when notice can be issued to Chairman Senate. Why can’t a notice be issued to Chairman PAC?
Justice Amir Farooq said that the Chairman Senate himself has filed an application before me and has fought the case.
During the hearing, the Islamabad High Court stopped the Public Accounts Committee from taking disciplinary action against Shahzad Saleem.
The court said that they are not giving a stay order on the proceedings of the PAC, they are preventing such actions by issuing warrants etc.
A hearing was held in the Islamabad High Court on the application against the powers of the Acting Chairman NAB’s Public Accounts Committee.
The registrar’s office raised objections on the request of acting chairman NAB.
During the hearing, the Islamabad High Court overruled some of the objections of the Registrar High Court, while some objections were upheld, the court directed NAB to overrule the other objections of the Registrar’s Office within 2 days.
The Islamabad High Court also heard the request to become a party in the case of Tayyaba Gul.
During the hearing, the court asked Tayyaba Gul’s lawyer to tell you how the victim is a party in this case, why do you want to be a party in the case? Acting Chief Justice asked that if you are a complainant before PAC then how can you form a party here.
The court issued notices on Tayyaba Gul’s request to become a party in the case against NAB. The court adjourned the further hearing of the case while seeking arguments from the parties on the next hearing on Tayyaba Gul’s request to be a party.
It may be recalled that while testifying before the PAC, Tayyaba Gul had alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s former principal secretary Azam Khan had called her for a meeting after filing a complaint on the citizen portal.
In the complaint, the woman accused the then chairman of NAB, Justice Retired Javed Iqbal, of sexual harassment and attached screenshots of the secretly recorded footage.
He had told PAC that Azam Khan asked for the video and assured him that he would take action against Javed Iqbal, but later the video was aired on a television channel.
It should be noted that PAC Chairman Noor Alam Khan has already demanded the suspension of Missing Persons Commission Chairman Justice Retired Javed Iqbal and other officers.
