SJC to hear PTI reference against NAB chief on May 16

ISLAMABAD: The reference filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry has been admitted for hearing. The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) is going to examine it on May 16.

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who is also the Chairman of Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), has convened the meeting of the Council on May 16, 2017 in the complaint/reference of PTI to consider whether it is maintainable before the Supreme Judicial Council in terms of Article 209 of the Constitution, read with Section 6(b) (1) of National Accountability Ordinance 1999.

On April 24, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had requested the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to restrain Qamar Zaman Chaudhry from performing his duties for being dishonest to his legal obligations.

The PTI, while invoking the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) jurisdiction, filed a complaint/reference under Article 209 of the Constitution through its council and spokesperson Fawad Hussain Chaudhry against the head of the anti-graft body, praying for his removal from the slot on the grounds that his neutrality and impartiality is in question.

It is pertinent to mention here that on April 20, a five-member larger bench of the apex court, while issuing a verdict in the Panama Leaks case, ruled that chairman NAB appeared to be indifferent and even unwilling to perform his part.

The PTI in its complaint had contended that it was one of the major reasons that majority of the judges of the bench ruled that such response from the head of the top anti-graft body has constrained them to look elsewhere to constitute a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the matter.

The PTI had also referred to the judgment of three judges: “In normal circumstances, such exercise could be conducted by the NAB, but when its chairman appears to be indifferent and even unwilling to perform his part, we are constrained to look elsewhere, and therefore order for constitution of Joint Investigation Team."

On Friday Arbab Muhammad Arif, Supreme Judicial Council secretary, intimated Fawad Hussain Chaudhry to attend the meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council and assist the Council on May 16, 2017 at 2:30pm in the Conference Room of the Supreme Court of Pakistan when the council would consider the jurisdictional aspect.