PHC restrains commission from ‘harassing’ ex-minister

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday restrained the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission from harassing former provincial minister and Pakistan People’s Party leader Liaqat Shabab and directed that all actions should be taken under the law.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Mrs Justice Irshad Qaisar allowed the commission to continue inquiry into the assets of the former provincial minister. However, the court did not pass any restraining order about the arrest of the former provincial minister by the Ehtesab Commission.
The PPP leader and former provincial minister for excise and taxation Liaqat Shabab had filed the writ petition in the PHC through his lawyer Qazi Jawad Ihsanullah, seeking restraining order from the court regarding his arrest by Ehtesab Commission.
The former minister moved the high court after the Ehtesab Commission officials conducted raids for his arrest in the assets case, claiming that some of his assets were disproportionate to his known sources of income.
In arguments of the case, the petitioner’s lawyer submitted that first the Ehtesab Commission issued a call of notice to the former provincial minister, asking him to appear and record his statement about investigation into embezzlement by the officers of the Excise and Taxation.
He contended that when the minister appeared for recording his statement, the investigation officer Ehtesab Commission served him a pro forma, asking him to mention his all assets. He said that under Section 30 of Ehtesab Commission Act, the director general on the recommendation of the prosecutor general of Ehtesab Commission and director of the Investigation Wing, on receipt of information can ask any public officeholder or any other person regarding his assets disproportionate to the known sources of income.
The lawyer pointed out that in this case, procedure under Section 30 of the Act was not followed and the investigation officer in violation of the act asked the petitioner to give all the details of his assets. The Ehtesab Commission had conducted two raids on the house of former provincial minister in Nowshera district, but he was not found at his house.