KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Monday restrained till September 12 the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from arresting former provincial minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla in an inquiry against officers of food and excise, and taxation departments.

Mr Chawla was a key minister of the then government of the Pakistan Peoples Party in the province.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha, also directed the petitioner to extend his full cooperation to NAB authorities as and when required.

It also put the NAB special prosecutor on notice for the next hearing with a direction to produce the call-up notice issued to the petitioner before the raid at his house and also inform it in categorical terms about the stage of the inquiry.

Citing NAB chairman and other officials as respondents, the ex-minister through his lawyers, Haider Waheed and others, approached the SHC and contended that despite not receiving any call-up notice, NAB officials had raided his residence in the wee hours of Aug 26 in an attempt to arrest him.

Mukesh Kumar Chawla’s home was raided by authorities on Aug 26, SHC told

However, the lawyers argued that the former minister was not at home at the time of the raid. They further submitted that the petitioner had come to know through the media that NAB had initiated multiple inquiries against him, his alleged frontmen and government officials and two specific call-up notices were issued to officials of the excise and taxation and food departments.

After the preliminary hearing, the bench in its order noted that a call-up notice, attached with the petition, indicted that there was an inquiry against Hassan Ali Sharif — alleged frontman of the petitioner and others — but the petitioner himself had not received any call-up notice and had grave apprehension that he would be arrested without any legal justification.

“Under these circumstances, NAB is directed not to arrest the petitioner Mukesh Kumar Chawla in respect of inquiry against the officers/officials of food department, government of Sindh and excise and taxation department, government of Sindh. However, the petitioner shall extend his full cooperation to the NAB as and when required”, it added.

The bench also directed the inquiry officer to be in attendance on Sept 12 along with relevant record.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2023