The Supreme Court, during the hearing of a plea challenging NAB amendments, once again resonated with the pleasantry “good to see you”.
The three-member bench resumed the hearing of the petition that was filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.
Last year in April, after assuming power, the then-PDM government passed the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Act 2022, a move met with strong criticism from the PTI.
During the hearing, Advocate Khawaja Haris represented Imran Khan as the petitioner’s counsel, while Makhdoom Ali Khan represented the federal government.
At the outset of the hearing, addressing Haris, Chief Justice Bandial extended the greeting, “Good to see you” and expressed the hope that he would “not be targeted for saying this”.
This interaction echoed a similar exchange of pleasantries that occurred between the Chief Justice and former Prime Minister Imran Khan during the latter’s appearance in the Supreme Court on a previous occasion.
Throughout the proceedings, Chief Justice Bandial and other members of the bench deliberated on the government’s arguments and the implications of the amendments.
The Chief Justice highlighted the deficiencies in the legislation and the need for careful consideration of its impact on the Constitution and the judiciary.
Discussion ensued regarding whether the current three-member bench should continue hearing the case in light of the stay order on the practice and procedures bill. The government’s lawyer advocated for a full court to be established to handle the matter.
Chief Justice Bandial noted the interference of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) bill in the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case and expressed his view that the current bench should continue handling the matter.
However, Justice Shah once again suggested forming a full court to address Imran Khan’s petition against the amendments to the accountability laws.
Chief Justice Bandial emphasized the importance of proceeding with the case while limiting the arguments to the amendments made in 2022, in order to prevent further delays.
The hearing was eventually adjourned to the following day, with Justice Shah once again advocating for the formation of a full court to address the case.
The National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill 2021, which was challenged by Imran Khan, brought about several significant changes to the NAB’s functioning. Notable amendments include reducing the term of the NAB chairman and prosecutor general from four to three years and restricting NAB’s jurisdiction over tax matters at various levels of governance.
Additionally, regulatory bodies within the country were exempted from NAB’s jurisdiction, and pending inquiries, investigations, trials, or proceedings were transferred to the relevant authorities and courts under respective laws.
Accountability court judges were assigned a three-year term and were mandated to conclude cases within one year.
