ISLAMABAD, July 19(ABC): Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said Tuesday it was his opinion that the matter of revisiting the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) law will be returned to the Parliament, as there is no alternative to the forum.
“In my opinion, this matter will be referred back to Parliament. There is no substitute to Parliament […] and we cannot take away its powers,” the CJP said while hearing PTI’s plea challenging the amendments made to the NAB law.
A three-member Supreme Court bench — comprising CJP Bandial, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, and Justice Ijazul Ahsan — heard the petition filed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
The PTI chairman had filed a petition in the apex court under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution, claiming that the bill has “virtually eliminate[d] any white-collar crime committed by a public office holder”.
The Parliament’s joint session last month passed the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which curtailed the anti-graft watchdog’s authority and reduced remand days among other amendments.
However, the PTI, whose lawmakers had resigned en masse from the National Assembly, were not present to oppose the changes and later opted to challenge the amendments in the top court.
The SC, after hearing the arguments of PTI lawyer Khawaja Harris and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, adjourned the hearing till July 29 (Friday) 11am, while also issuing notices to NAB, the federal government, and the attorney-general to present their side of the story at the next hearing.