LAHORE: A Lahore High Court single bench on Wednesday recommended formation of a larger bench on a petition seeking a direction to restrain National Accountability Bureau chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal from performing his duty and to suspend all proceedings pending with the accountability courts.

Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan observed that the legal questions raised in the petition were important in nature and needed to be heard by a larger bench. Therefore, the judge referred the petition to the chief justice with a recommendation to form a larger bench to further proceed with the case.

Senior lawyer A.K. Dogar had filed the petition pleading that there was no provision in the National Accountability Ordinance for the formation of a bureau. He said it was stipulated in the ordinance that the chairman of NAB shall be appointed by the president in consultation with the leader of the house and the leader of the opposition, but it was not enacted anywhere how the bureau shall be formed. He asked the court to declare the formation of the present bureau and all its actions illegal.

Another relief sought by the lawyer was cancellation of sentence awarded to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and all other accused persons under the accountability law.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2019