PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court has set aside an order of an accountability court of confirming freezing bank account of a filling station in connection with an ongoing probe into alleged misappropriation of more than Rs30 billion in the district accounts office, Upper Kohistan.

A bench consisting of Justice Wiqar Ahmad and Justice Fazal Subhan, while accepting an appeal filed by M/S Asad Filling Station, Kohistan, through its proprietor Mohammad Saleem, remanded the case back to the accountability court with the direction to provide an opportunity to the appellant to substantiate the objection to the freezing order passed by National Accountability Bureau chairman, and thereafter decide the petition in accordance with law.

The bench, however, ordered that in the meanwhile the freezing order passed by NAB should remain in the field.

The appellant had called in question the legality of an order of the accountability court of May 27, 2025, whereby it had confirmed the freezing order of multiple properties by the director general of NAB, on Apr 21, 2025.

Bench remands the case back to accountability court

Advocate Mohammad Farooq Malik appeared for the appellant and stated that Asad Filling Station was situated on Karakorum Highway in district Kohistan and was exclusively owned by Mohammad Saleem and his family.

He said that the filling station operated under a dealership agreement with a prominent petroleum company through a lease deed executed in 2013. He argued that due to its strategic location, the filling station was a prominent one providing quality petroleum services not only to tourists but also to heavy machinery and equipment operators.

He stated that to the utter surprise of the petitioner, his bank account was frozen by NAB authorities in connection with an inquiry initiated under National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, against a government contractor Mumtaz Khan.

Mr Malik said that the impugned freezing order was issued by director general of NAB and was referred to the accountability court for confirmation. He argued that the petitioner and other affected individuals had challenged the order by filing an objection petition under section 13 of NAO.

He said that the accountability court not only confirmed the freezing order rather also rejected all the objection petitions.

He argued that prior to issuing the freezing order no notice was served on the petitioner. He stated that his client had never remained involved in any government activity or contract so the question of embezzlement of the government exchequer didn’t arise.

It is pertinent to mention that NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had started an inquiry and during preliminary probe it revealed that officials of communication and works department (C&W), Upper Kohistan, in connivance with officials of district accounts office and NBP branch there, had misappropriated more than Rs30 billion from different projects through bogus withdrawal of funds from national treasury in the name of several contractors, who had not executed any civil work.

It is alleged that the district accounts office, Upper Kohistan, without carrying any verification of alleged work done by the said contractors, passed the cheques amounting to billions of rupees, which were deposited by the said contractors in their bank accounts.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2025