LAHORE - The Supreme Court on Saturday reprimanded the NAB director general when the chief secretary told the court that heads of various public sector companies complained about rude attitude of NAB officials during investigation.

“You can’t insult any individual,” Justice Umar Ata Bandial remarked, and warned of action against NAB officials in case of further complaints.

The CJP addressed the chief secretary and said, “Your income would have been in millions if you had been head of a company.” The CJP also directed the government to submit report on the case and gave it two weeks for this purpose.

In the case involving luxury vehicles for officers, the chief secretary said that Chief Justice of Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Muhammad Yawar Ali had been provided a vehicle worth Rs24 million.

During the hearing, the CJP asked the Chief Secretary to submit report. The secretary said the vehicle given to the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court was also being converted into a bulletproof one. “How can I proceed against others if I don’t clean my own institution?” the top judge raised a question.

“Different institutions have luxury cars. Boards take decision on provision of vehicles,” the officer said while answering a question about allotment of vehicles.

“Ask the boards and bureaucrats working in the companies that they should return the excess amount taken for such luxuries,” the CJP remarked. “I cannot give them any time,” he said.

The Chief Secretary said that more than two judges of the high courts were given bulletproof vehicles. “The high court CJ is entitled to an 1800cc car but not a bulletproof vehicle under the law,” the officer informed the court.

The Chief Justice directed the government to submit detailed report on the land cruisers in the use of officers.

Later, the chief justice also visited the Supreme Court Bar Association and said that judges had been doing what the government could not do.

“We can’t remain silent at sufferings of people,” the top judge remarked. The CJP thanked lawyers for hanging his picture at the bar association, saying that he was the first CJP whose picture had been placed in the bar.

Hearing the suo motu case of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s former principal secretary Dr Tauqir Shah, who was appointed ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the top judge restrained him from going abroad. “The former secretary can’t travel abroad without the court’s permission,” the CJP remarked.

The Chief Justice also refused to read his performance report and questioned that how he was appointed to WTO while his name was mentioned in the Model Town incident.

Tauqir Shah, according to the sources, was removed from the post of CM’s principal secretary after the Model Town incident and appointed to WTO as an ambassador.

In another case, the CJP ordered arrest of a quack who operated upon a woman at a so-called hospital in Jhang. He passed the order while hearing a suo motu notice taken on this incident.

The court was shown last time a video wherein a man was being assisted by another who was neither wearing scrubs nor a mask during the operation.

Superintendent of Jhang Police presented the suspects in court in compliance with previous orders. Police said the suspects worked at Dr Rafiq Ahmed’s clinic that was registered with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Association. However, the suspects refused their role and said that Dr Rafiq conducted the operation and they were only giving first-aid. On this, the CJP remarked: “you are lying”. The CJP directed the police to arrest them and register a case against them. The top court also directed Dr Rafiq to present him at the next hearing.

PUBLIC SECTOR COMPANIES CASE: The Supreme Court ordered heads of 56 public sector companies to draw salaries as per their pay scale, observing that the heads should return the amount which was more than their original pay scale.

“These companies have been set up to benefit relatives,” the top judge observed. He regretted that there was not even a single drop of water despite the fact that billions were spent on the clean water project.

“We can’t allow waste of public money,” the top judge remarked. NAB DG Saleem Shahzad said that the Punjab government didn’t cooperate with the bureau over records of companies and only 17 companies out of 56 could submit their records. On this, the CJP observed: “Don’t worry, all records will be provided soon. We’ll see how they don’t submit the record.”

The bench gave three days to the companies to submit record to the NAB.

Earlier, the CJP visited a psychiatric hospital and Services Hospital in the city to inspect the facilities being provided to citizens. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar visited various wards of the hospital, seeking replies from the health department over negligence in services.

The top court took notice during hearing of a case of a woman who was suffering from mental illness and was on death row.

The chief justice also visited the hospital’s kitchen during his survey, where he expressed reservations about the hygiene conditions. The attendant of a patient told Justice Nisar that the hospital was cleaned before his visit.

A woman, during his visit, complained about shortage of medicines at the facility. On this, an explanation was sought from Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique.

The chief justice also visited pharmacy of the hospital where he sought details from the in-charge.