SC grants govt more time to appoint NAB PG

Asks IHC registrar to furnish reasons for not completing Tayyaba’s trial


Our Correspondent January 09, 2018
PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday granted the government one week’s time to appoint a new prosecutor general (PG) for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), a post that has been lying vacant since November last year.

In compliance with the apex court’s order last week, Attorney General for Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali appeared before the two-judge bench, headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed, and sought a week’s time for the appointment of NAB PG and Islamabad Accountability Court judge.

No general agreement over NAB prosecutor

It is also learnt that the law ministry has sent a summary to the president of Pakistan wherein five names have been proposed. Likewise, regarding the appointment of accountability court’s judge, the ministry wrote to Islamabad High Court (IHC) chief justice to recommend his nominees and his response is still awaited.

The deadlock between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government and the NAB chairman over the appointment of the new PG still persists.

The post has been vacant since November, when the three-year tenure of former PG Waqas Qadeer Dar ended. Under the law, the federal government must make the appointment after consulting the NAB chairman.

Last month, NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal sent a list of five lawyers to the federal government. The chairman proposed Mudhasir Khalid Abbasi, Shah Khawar, Syed Asghar Haider, Fasihul Mulk and Nasir Saeed Sheikh.

Meanwhile, another three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, hearing the matter related to the torture of minor child Tayyaba has asked the IHC registrar to furnish reasons for not completing the trial.

Govt, NAB consult on new prosecutor general

The case of the 10-year-old, a domestic worker at the home of former additional district and sessions judge Raja Khurram Ali and his wife Maheen, first came to light after photos of the child depicting alleged torture by her employers began circulating on social media.

Tayyaba was rescued from their residence with visible wounds on December 28, 2016 and an FIR was filed against her employers a day later.

Ali reached a compromise with Tayyaba's parents on Jan 2, 2017, and a day later the child was handed over to her parents. On Jan 4; however, the apex court took suo motu notice of the matter and directed police to investigate all aspects of the case.

Likewise, another SC bench has  referred the seven-year-old case of renowned actress Atiqa Odho, who was booked for possessing two bottles of wine, to trial court to consider her application under the provisions of Section 265-K of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Ali Zafar had appeared on behalf of the actress.

COMMENTS (1)

MAD | 6 years ago | Reply why is the Atiqa Odho case even being heard by the SC?
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