Federal Constitutional Court to hear NAB appeals, SC states

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) has announced that the Federal Constitution Court (FCC) will hear the main appeals on bail and petitions related to the NAB cases.

In its verdict, the SC states that, according to the NAB Act 32 AND 32A, it has no authority to hear NAB cases.

After the Supreme Court’s decision, the FCC will now hear all the cases of NAB, including the appeals of the PTI founder.  Under Article 175A and F, NAB cases shall be deemed transferred to the Federal Constitutional Court.

It should be noted that the question of authority to case was raised during the hearing of a NAB case in the Supreme Court.

In the amendment of 5 March, 2026, in the NAB Act, the authority to hear petitions was handed over to the Federal Constitutional Court.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard the case, including Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan.

The petitioner’s counsel, Ibad-ur-Rehman Lodhi, presented arguments in favor of having the bail case heard by the Supreme Court.

In his arguments, he cited a Supreme Court ruling from March 18, 2026, where bail was granted in a case following the NAB amendments.

Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan argued in favor of hearing NAB appeals and bail cases in the FCC, maintaining that a single case cannot be divided between the Supreme Court and the Federal Constitutional Court.

The NAB counsel had also supported the federal government’s stance; a three-member bench of the Supreme Court had reserved its decision on July 16.