ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court ordered unfreezing of the bank accounts of Bahria Town (Pvt) Ltd as well as that of the Malir Development Authority (MDA) all over the country.

A three-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, had taken up an application moved by Aitzaz Ahsan, representing Bahria Town, stating that private banks across the country had sealed the accounts of his clients on the State Bank’s orders.

The action had affected, on the one hand, the payment of salaries to Bahria Town’s employees and, on the other, development projects in the housing scheme.

The chief justice, however, observed that the authorities concerned exceeded their authority by freezing the accounts since the court had only ordered monitoring of the two accounts.

Sometimes government institutions show remarkable efficiency, but on most other occasions the judiciary’s orders remain unimplemented.

He recalled that the apex court had called for revision of the fee structures of 27 private schools, but the National Accountability Bureau instead started sealing schools.

Likewise, Justice Nisar added, the court had never given any instructions to freeze bank accounts in the fake accounts case.

The court also asked about the progress in changing the name of Bahria Town. The counsel replied that a period of six months had not elapsed since the order was given.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2019