Senior lawyer awaits hearing on SJC reference against NAB chairman

ISLAMABAD: There is a reference pending at the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal, said lawyer Ch Muhammad Saeed Zafar on Tuesday. Speaking at the Geo News programme "Capital Talk" hosted by Hamid Mir, Zafar said he had filed a reference against the NAB chairman last year when a video scandal involving the retired judge came to light.

To a question, he said the reference pertained to a video that had leaked last year in which a man named Farooq Nol and a woman, Tayyaba Gul, were pressurising NAB officials to do their bidding by associating themselves with Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal.

Zafar said when the matter came to the NAB chairman's notice, he had arrested Nol and Gul to hush up the matter. "Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal did not issue any denial [of the matter]", said Zafar. "Hence, I requested the Supreme Judicial Council to have a forensic audit of the video conducted so that the truth is revealed."

Zafar said the reference was pending at the SJC and when the hearing takes place on the reference, he will present himself before the council to present his objections so that hearing of the reference commences.

NAB had filed a reference against the two individuals in an accountability court last year in May, saying that they were behind an audio-video scandal of Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal. The NAB had said that it received six complaints against Gul and Nol, and 36 witnesses had recorded their statements against them.