ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday restrained the most powerful parliamentary committee — Public Accounts Committee — from probing serious allegations against the director general of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) about strip searching and filming a female suspect.

After preliminary hearing of a petition filed by NAB DG Saleem Shahzad, Justice Aamer Farooq issued notice to the PAC secretariat and stopped it from taking any adverse action against him.

In a related development, the NAB DG appeared before the PAC and informed the member parliamentarians that despite having a court order in his favour he appeared before the committee to prove his bona fide and his respect for the committee.

While defending the accusations against him, the official claimed he was unnecessarily dragged into the harassment case on an application moved by the woman, who he alleged was involved in immoral activities and booked in around 40 cases in different districts. He blamed the woman, Tayyaba Gul, for harassing him.

PAC power to order reopening of cases challenged before IHC; Gul’s lawyer allowed to argue on plea to become party in case

In her application before the same court, Gul requested the acting chief justice to implead her as necessary party in the petition filed by the NAB DG. The court asked her counsel to advance the arguments on the next date.

Earlier on July 7, complainant Gul while appearing before the PAC alleged she had been treated inhumanly not only by NAB chairman Javed Iqbal and NAB DG Saleem Shahzad but also by the Prime Minister Office that had secured personal gains by blackmailing the NAB hierarchy by misusing a high-profile compromised video.

Gul alleged that the NAB DG retired major Saleem Shahzad arrested her from Islamabad and took her to Lahore where she was subjected to strip search and was also filmed. She accused the PM Office of using an indecent video secretly recorded to pressure NAB chairman to shut certain inquiries.

The PAC subsequently summoned the DG and directed the NAB chairman to suspend him and his staff, besides issuing a direction to the anti-graft watchdog to reopen the inquiries that had been closed due to the alleged blackmailing.

However, the DG moved the IHC against the PAC direction and Justice Farooq after preliminary hearing retrained the PAC from taking any adverse action against him.

Interestingly, acting NAB chairman Zahir Shah also moved the IHC challenging the PAC jurisdiction to issue direction of revival of the closed cases.

Since the registrar office of the court had administrative objections to the petition, Justice Farooq asked counsel for the NAB to remove the objection within a couple of days.

In the petition, the acting chairman of NAB had claimed that the PAC had exceeded from its jurisdiction and requested the court to declare the PAC’s directives of July 7, 2022 as void.

While appearing before the PAC on Wednesday, Mr Shah later claimed NAB’s prosecution wing had opined to file a petition before the court to seek guidance on reopening of closed inquiries.

The PAC members expressed displeasure over filing of petitions to ‘avoid accountability’.

PAC chairman Noor Alam Khan said he could present himself before the anti-graft watchdog for “ruthless accountability” and the NAB should also be willing to face accountability. He asked why NAB was avoiding accountability of a person who not only misused his authority but also sexually harassed a woman.

Mr Khan was of the opinion that NAB, its chairman and officials were well respected, but the PAC could not tolerate the alleged ‘misuse of authority’ and ‘woman’s harassment’ by them.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2022