LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday came down hard on National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore Director General (DG) Shahzad Saleem for humiliating senior professors by producing them handcuffed before the trial court.

The chief justice was hearing a suo motu notice taken against the production of Punjab University former vice chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, and other professors in handcuffs before an accountability court the other day. Other arrested included former registrars Prof Dr Raas Masood and Prof Dr Liaquat Ali and additional registrars Prof Dr Aurangzaib Alamgir and Prof Dr Kamran Abid.

Punjab Advocate General (AG) Ahmad Awais and NAB DG Saleem were present in the court.

The CJP said he was depressed to see elderly professors appearing in the court handcuffed and called NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal late at night. The chairman also regretted the act of the NAB officials, he added.

Earlier, deputy inspector general (operations) told the chief justice that services of 53 police personnel had been delegated to the NAB Lahore office and they worked under the bureau. Therefore, he said, the police had no role in production of the professors in handcuffs.

On being asked to justify the act, NAB DG Saleem sought an apology from the court before explaining his position.

CJP Nisar observed that he had repeatedly asked the NAB not to disgrace people, but to no avail. “You should better quit if you cannot perform,” he advised Mr Saleem asking him who authorised him to humiliate teachers. “Dishonoring teachers cannot be tolerated,” the CJP warned the NAB officer.

“Let a case be registered against you to make you appear before court in handcuffs,” the CJP said to Saleem.

“Now, you are playing emotional as you yourself are in the dock,” the chief justice said seeing DG Saleem in tears.

The DG claimed that the professors had been handcuffed owing to security concerns. He further claimed that he personally visited the professors and apologised to them.

CJP Nisar rebuked NAB Deputy Prosecutor Rana Arif when he tried to take pride over the performance of the organisation in corruption cases. The CJP observed that the NAB did nothing but disgrace people.

AG Awais also condemned the NAB, saying it amounted to desecrating humanity. Later, on the direction of the chief justice, NAB DG Saleem submitted a written apology.

The NAB arrested the professors on charges of making illegal appointments at the Punjab University. The bureau produced them before an accountability court on Friday in handcuffs and got their 10-day physical remand.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2018