LAHORE              -          The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday declined a plea to stay proceedings initiated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Farhat Shahzadi, a friend of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, her husband Ahsan Jamil Gujjar and others. The division bench headed by Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry heard the civil miscellaneous application filed by Farhat Shahzadi and others challenging the NAB proceedings against them. The court also issued notices to the bureau and sought reply on the application. The petitioners’ counsel argued before the court that his clients had challenged the proceedings and inquiry launched by the bureau against them because the bureau lacked jurisdiction to hold inquiry against private persons. However, despite the pendency of the petition, the respondent NAB authorities had wrote a letter to police for ensuring the service of a call-up notice to some persons in connection with the inquiry, he added. He submitted that the step was aimed to harass the petitioners, adding that the action was discriminatory in the light of amendments made in the NAB ordinance. He pleaded with the court to set aside the proceedings, inquiry and call-up notice for being illegal. He also pleaded with the court to stay the proceedings till the final decision of the petition. However, the bench declined the plea to stop the proceedings and issued notices to the respondent NAB authorities for reply