Stay on inquiry against PDA chief extended

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday extended the stay order about launch of fresh inquiries by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, against director general of Peshawar Development Authority (PDA).

A two-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ibrahim Khan and Justice Ijaz Anwar extended the stay order till next hearing into the case. On the previous hearing, the high court had suspended the Director General NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa order about opening of the closed inquiries against the PDA chief.

During hearing, the NAB prosecutor, Riaz Burki informed that the NAB had submitted comments in the case. Due to lawyers strike, the bench adjourned the case and asked the petitioner’s lawyer to submit rejoinder to the NAB comments before the next hearing.

The PDA DG Mohammad Saleem Hassan Wattoo had challenged an order of the NAB DG issued on July 6 about authorising fresh inquiries in certain closed matters which related to alleged irregularities in some projects of the authority. He had requested the court to declare the said authorisation of fresh inquiries as illegal, misuse of authority and be set aside.