LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday suspended the proceedings before a trial court on allegations of sexual harassment against National Accountability Bureau (NAB) former chairman Javed Iqbal and other officials.

On behalf of the petitioners, Advocate Safdar Shaheen Pirzada argued before the court that an accountability court passed orders to the inspectors general of police (IGPs) of Punjab and Islamabad to investigate the allegations levelled by a woman, Tayyaba Gul.

He said the offices of the Islamabad IGP issued notices to the petitioners for personal appearance.

The counsel argued that the orders passed by the trial court and the subsequent notices by the police were illegal, unlawful and without jurisdiction.

He said the orders of the trial court did not provide reasons for issuing directions to the police to investigate the matter particularly when the preliminary evidence of the complainant had already been recorded.

He further argued that the complaint of the woman was time barred and this aspect of the case had been overlooked by the trial court while taking cognizance of the matter.

The counsel pointed out that the NAB had taken cognizance against respondent Tayyaba Gul and her husband, Muhammad Farooq, on complaints. He said the couple was arrested and sent to judicial custody accordingly.

He said the complainant was examined by a woman medical officer and she did not complain of any harassment at that time and also gave her a written consent that she was alright and did not want to be medically examined.

He said the trial court acquitted the couple on technical grounds and since then the woman started filing frivolous complaints against the petitioners.

A two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti suspended the trial court’s proceedings and the summons issued to the petitioners by the police till the next date of hearing.

The bench will resume its hearing after Eid holidays.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2023