The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) Friday announced its reserved verdict on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief’s petition and suspended the National Accountability Ordinance amendments.
The court, in its judgment, underscored the importance of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) clause pertaining to the Service of Pakistan, thus partially declaring the plea put forth by the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) “admissible”.
A three-member special bench – led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial – and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, heard the petition.
The CJP announced the ruling in this case on the last date of his retirement, as the verdict could have far-reaching implications on national politics.
The apex court had reserved its verdict on September 5.
This landmark ruling has resulted in the restoration of references against politicians occupying public positions.
The ruling specifically reinstated the NAB clause pertaining to the Service of Pakistan.
The decision partially favored Chairman PTI’s petitions, invalidating the clause excluding references up to 500 million from NAB’s jurisdiction while maintaining the ability to file references against individuals holding public office.
Notably, the court nullified various NAB amendments, including those related to the termination of references against public officials and the minimum condition of 500 million, albeit with a dissenting opinion from Justice Mansoor Ali Shah.
As a result, cases against prominent figures like Ishaq Dar, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Nawaz Sharif, Zardari, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Raja Parvez Ashraf, Abdul Ghani Majeed, and Anwar Majeed are set to be revived.
The Supreme Court ordered the swift transfer of case records back to the respective courts.
The case, which challenged the NAB Amendments of 2022, had seen an extensive legal journey, with a total of 55 hearings conducted before reaching this crucial verdict.
Notably, Chairman PTI was aptly represented by Khawaja Haris, while the government’s legal counsel, Makhdoom Ali Khan, staunchly opposed the petition, as did the Attorney General.
