NAB NOTICES IN TOSHAKHANA CASE.
ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday served notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi challenging bureau’s notices in Toshakhana gifts sale case.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Raffat Imtiaz heard the petitions. Petitioners’ Lawyer Khwaja Haris argued that the NAB had not told in its notices that under status this information had been sought. It was mandatory for the bureau to give complete information as per the directives of the court, he said. To a query, he said that even after the amendments in the NAB law it was compulsory to tell the reasons of summing someone.
He said that the NAB had served call up notices to his clients. The NAB notices had only stated that there was an inquiry against former public office holder regarding the gifts received from Toshakhana. The lawyer said that Imran Khan had submitted written answer against the notices and so far did not appear in person. Justice Farooq remarked that it was possible that the NAB might be satisfied with the answer of PTI’s chairman.
The lawyer said that there was a risk that the NAB could convert the inquiry into the investigation. Addressing the NAB prosecutor, the chief justice remarked that the implementation of court orders was not being witnessed in NAB notices. He said that the court was not stopping the bureau from any action as it could ask any question from the petitioners. However, the court would issue an order in the petitions, he said. The lawyer said that Bushra Bibi was also served notice despite she had never been a public office holder. The court earlier reserved its decision on maintainability of the case and later served notices to responders. Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) regarding the appearance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan before it on April 6. The IHC Registrar’s Office, in a circular, also instructed the district administration to ensure security arrangements during the appearance of Imran Khan.
It said the entrance of lawyers and journalists in the Court No.1 would be conditional with special passes. Imran Khan will be allowed to take 15 lawyers along with him, while 10 lawyers of the attorney general and advocate general offices are permitted to enter the courtroom in addition to 30 members of the Islamabad High Court Journalists Association (IHCJA). The registrar instructed the administration not to stop the people having special passes or departments cards to enter the court premises. However, the IHC officers and staff would require no entry passes. The IHC bench will take up Imran Khan’s bail petitions in eight cases on April 6.