KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Mon­day directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the chief federal law officer to file their respective comments on separate but identical petitions of former provincial information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and others challenging issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants in different corruption references by accountability courts.

The petitioners, who included former managing director of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited Basharat Mirza, Jamshoro Joint Venture Ltd (JJVL) former chief executive officer Iqbal Z. Ahmed and the official of a private media agency, were represented by Advocate Farooq H. Naek.

The petitioners’ counsel expressed reservations over “dual” criteria of accountability in Punjab and Sindh alleging that the accountability courts of Sindh did not grant bail to the accused persons and instead they issued non-bailable warrants despite their cooperation.

He complained that the National Accountability Ordin­ance 1999, better known as NAB Ordinance, was a federal law but there was dual standard of accountability in different provinces.

A two-judge bench of the high court asked the NAB prosecutor as to why the accused persons of Sindh and Punjab were being treated differently.

Referring to the references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members, one of the bench members remarked that one accused, whose non-bailable warrant was issued, was granted bail when he surrendered before the trial court but it has not been witnessed here.

The NAB prosecutor told the judges that NAB had challenged the bails given to the accused in Punjab, as well.

The bench issued notice to the attorney general directing him to file reply by Nov 13 when the court would take up the matter.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2017