IHC issues notice to NAB chief in Musharraf assets case

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a notice to Chairman NAB Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal for not acting against former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf for his alleged corruption during his tenure as the country’s president.

A bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan heard the petition seeking contempt of court proceedings against the NAB chief on Monday.

Petitioner's lawyer told the court that according to the records of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Musharraf had $2 million in one account.

He said that an IHC division bench had on Jan 25, 2018, held that NAB could proceed against retired generals over corruption charges, regretting that the anti-graft watchdog did not take any action.

When inquired by the chief justice whether the decision of this court had been challenged, the counsel answered in the negative and maintained the case had been in fact finalised.

He said he provided evidence to the NAB yet it was not acting against Gen Musharraf.

After the initial hearing, the court issued a notice to the NAB chief with a direction to submit his reply to the petition by the next hearing on Feb 15.

Read: "NAB chief may face contempt in Musharraf case"

Mr Rahim, the petitioner, had filed a complaint almost a decade ago, asking NAB to launch a probe into the same. However, the bureau had refused to conduct this inquiry stating that it lacks jurisdiction in the matter because as a member of the armed forces the general was immune from being proceeded against under the National Accountability Ordinance 1999.

However, in a judgement issued in February 2018, the court ruled: “The bureau is vested with the power and jurisdiction to consider the complaint of the petitioner and after such consideration, if it is of the opinion that an offence under the Ordinance of 1999 is prima facie made out, then it will become a duty of the latter to proceed to inquire, investigate and take all other steps mandated under the Ordinance of 1999.”

The petitioner argued that Musharraf, as the chief of the army staff and the country’s president, violated his oath of defending the country and protecting its citizens.

He claimed that Musharraf owns eight immovable assets in the form of property in Pakistan and two abroad. He has under his name three properties in Karachi, two in Islamabad and one each in Lahore and Gwadar.
It said Musharraf owns another property in Karachi under his wife’s name and two properties in UAE and the United Kingdom respectively. Apart from them, he owns three vehicles, two Land Cruisers and one Corolla under his name and four vehicles under his wife’s name.

Rahim claimed that Musharraf’s assets do not match with his income sources.