PHC extends stay against arrest of former PTB chairman

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday extended stay order on restraining the National Accountability Bureau from harassing and arresting former chairman Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) Sahibzada Muhammad Khalid, a grade-22 retired officer, till next order of the court.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Roohul Amin Khan and Justice Syed Afsar Shah restrained the NAB from the arrest till next order.

The stay was extended after senior judge of the bench Justice Roohul Amin Khan said he cannot hear the case due to some reasons and adjourned the case for fixing before another bench.

On the previous hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer Farmanullah Khattak submitted before the bench that the NAB had earlier issued call-up notice to the petitioner in an inquiry regarding illegal appointments in the Pakistan Tobacco Board in the year 2010-11.

The lawyer said that the NAB had arrested Nauman Bashir, a former secretary of Pakistan Tobacco Board on August 31, in the appointments case and during his custody, the NAB investigation officer informed the accountability court that warrant for arrest of the petitioner had been sent to NAB chairman as he was grade-22 officer and would be arrested soon.

The lawyer said the petitioner as former chairman of the PTB was fully cooperating with the NAB in the inquiry, but after the statement of investigation officer he feared to be arrested by the NAB.

He said that the NAB had issued him a call-up notice on January 21, about the illegal appointments in the PTB, which was also illegal.

Sahibzada Muhammad Khalid has also served as chief information commissioner of Right to Information Commission.

Separately, the bench also issued a notice to NAB chairman in a bail petition filed by Nauman Bashir, a former secretary of PTB, arrested on charges of appointments case.

The NAB KP on July 31 arrested senior government official on the charges of making illegal appointments. He is presently working as director of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan at Peshawar.

The NAB alleged that the official in connivance with others was involved in corruption. It maintained that the arrested official misused authority and made illegal appointment of 36 officials in BPS-2 to BPS-17 in the PTB.

The NAB communiqué said the Ministry of Commerce had banned recruitments, but the accused during his tenure as secretary PTB illegally exercised full powers of the PTB chairman.

The press release said that in connivance with others, Nauman Bashir recruited 36 individuals in blatant violation of standing instructions.