ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday issued notices to the National Assembly (NA) secretary and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on a petition filed against the PAC’s directive to reopen closed inquiries against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leadership.

Acting IHC chief justice Aamer Farooq took up the petition filed by acting National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman Zahir Shah along with another plea submitted by the bureau’s Lahore director general, retired Maj Saleem Shahzad.

In the petition, the acting NAB chairman contended that the PAC had gone beyond its jurisdiction by investigating the allegations of sexual harassment against former NAB chairman Javed Iqbal and issuing directives to reopen closed inquiries.

The petition pointed out that the PAC could only take up audit reports of ministries and departments of the federal government, adding that matters in question were already sub judice before the appropriate courts, hence the committee could not intervene into the judicial domain.

Moreover, the petition pointed out that the incumbent PAC chairman, Noor Alam Khan, was facing NAB inquiry, and being an accused, lacked moral authority to preside over meetings related to the bureau.

The court directed the petitioner’s counsel to argue on the maintainability of the petition on the next date of hearing.

Justice Farooq remarked that the PAC summoned an official in matters related to finance. The deputy attorney general, Arshad Mehmood Kiani, told the court that the PAC had powers to entertain public interest petitions.

The counsel for NAB director general argued that the Supreme Court in the Punjab chief minister case had set a precedent of judicial interference in the parliament’s domain.

It may be mentioned here that NAB Lahore Director General Saleem Shahzad was facing the inquiry before the PAC on the complaint of Tayyaba Gul over her manhandling and harassment.

Ms Gul came into the limelight in 2019 when a private television channel aired a secretly recorded video of former NAB chairman, retired Justice Javed Iqbal.

She accused Mr Shahzad of conducting strip search and fabricating false cases against her. Appearing before the PAC, Mr Shahzad denied her allegations and accused Ms Gul of being involved in immoral activities. Ms Gul also filed an application before the IHC to implead her as party in Shahzad’s petition.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2022