Supreme Court reinstates NAB amendments law

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has reinstated the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments law, accepting the federal government’s review plea.

The five-member bench, headed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, reserved the judgment on June 6 and announced the verdict with a majority of 5-0. Justice Athar Minallah also wrote an additional note.

The CJP also said that the five-member bench, which also included Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, delivered a consensus decision to restore the amendments. He said Justice Minallah and Justice Rizvi had penned additional notes to the main ruling.

According to the judgment, Justice Minallah restored the amendments on the appeals of private suspects, while also noting that the federal government had no standing to file an intra-court appeal, as only the aggrieved party has the right to do so.

Justice Rizvi said he would provide separate reasons for supporting the restoration of the amendments.

The Supreme Court’s short verdict stated that the details of the decision will be shared later. The federal and provincial governments had filed intra-court appeals against the declaration of the NAB amendments as unconstitutional. The apex court had reserved its verdict on the federal government’s appeal on June 6.

Earlier, The Supreme Court had struck down amendments made to NAB laws on a petition filed by PTI founder Imran Khan. In a majority 2-1 verdict, the top court approved Khan’s petition challenging amendments made to the country’s accountability laws during the tenure of the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government.

The amendments had closed down graft cases against public office holders. However, with the reinstatement of the NAB amendments law, these cases are expected to be revived.

The reinstatement of the NAB amendments law is a significant development in the country’s fight against corruption. The law aims to strengthen the accountability process and ensure that those in power are held accountable for their actions.

The decision is also seen as a victory for the federal government, which had filed the review plea. The government had argued that the amendments were necessary to ensure accountability and transparency in the country.

The details of the decision are expected to be shared later, and it is unclear how the reinstatement of the law will impact ongoing cases.

However, it is expected that the National Accountability Bureau will now be able to proceed with cases against public office holders with renewed vigor.