LAHORE: A senior retired bureaucrat has approached the Lahore High Court, challenging the functioning, framework and proceedings initiated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and call-up notices issued to him in an inquiry against the officials of the Punjab Entertainment Company (PEC).

Petitioner Taimur Azmat Osman, a retired BPS-22 officer, also served as acting and ex officio managing director of the PEC appointed by its board in 2005.

The former bureaucrat, through Advocate Khurram Chughtai, pleads that NAB had issued him three call-up notices in 2019, 2020 and 2021 despite submission of detailed replies. He stated that the allegations levelled against him in the notices were without any lawful justification as he has always discharged his duties in pursuance of the decisions of the government and the PEC board.

The counsel argued that despite the three call-up notices, NAB had neither raised any query nor conveyed any objection with regard to the exchange in question to the petitioner as he had also been interrogated personally. He stated that NAB neither objected to nor expressed any dissatisfaction with the replies submitted by the petitioner. He asked the court to set aside the impugned call-up notices and also declare that the functioning, framework and proceedings initiated by NAB amounting to transgressing constitutional mandate and legal framework of the Auditor General of Pakistan and Public Accounts Committees.

A division bench, comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem, would take up the petition on Monday.

BAN ON TLP: Justice Shahid Karim of the Lahore High Court will take up on Monday (tomorrow) a writ petition seeking a “complete ban” on the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) for holding violent protests in the country.

“The demands [of the TLP] are against the sovereignty of Pakistan, as well as the Vienna Convention, which is an international obligation of the state of Pakistan,” states Civil Society Network president Abdullah Malik in his writ petition on Saturday.

The petitioner argues that the state has failed to cope with the challenge and eliminate the proscribed outfit which had “all elements of militancy and terrorism” and become a serious threat for solidity of the country.

He asks the court to exercise its constitutional jurisdiction and pass a direction to the government to fulfill its constitutional duties, protect the fundamental rights of citizens and maintain law and order in the country.

He urges the court to also issue a direction to the interior secretary to register sedition cases against the militant outfits.

The petitioner further asks the court to seek a report from the Punjab Police on loss of lives of citizens as well as police officials during the ongoing agitation.

He also seeks a ban on coverage of the proscribed organizations in print and electronic media. The lawyer says compensation should be recovered from the proscribed TLP for the loss of lives and properties caused by its protests.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2021