Supreme Court Commences Hearings on Appeals Contesting NAB Law Amendments
- A five-member larger bench, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, is currently presiding over the appeals contesting the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law amendments in the Supreme Court.
The appeals are being deliberated by a panel including Justice Aminuddin, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Athar Minallah, and Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi.
Notably, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan appeared via video link from Adiala jail during the proceedings.
During a previous session, the Supreme Court had instructed lawyer Khawaja Haris to confer with his client, Imran Khan, at the jail.
Imran Khan had lodged a challenge against the NAB law amendments.
Previously, a three-member Supreme Court bench invalidated the NAB law amendments upon Khan’s petition. Subsequently, the federal government lodged intra-court appeals against the bench’s ruling.
The NAB amendments case pertains to alterations made to the accountability laws during the tenure of the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government. In September 2023, a three-member bench, chaired by then-Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and including Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, upheld Imran Khan’s petition after more than 50 hearings. In a majority 2-1 verdict, the court reinstated corruption cases against public officials that had been closed following the amendments. The apex court’s decision to nullify the amendments carries significant implications, as it means that references against prominent political figures will once again be subject to accountability court proceedings. This includes cases such as the Toshakhana reference against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the LNG reference against former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and the rental power reference against another former Prime Minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf. In response to the verdict, the federal government filed an appeal challenging the Supreme Court’s decision.
