Hearing adjourned in pleas challenging copter law amendment

The Peshawar High Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing on the petitions filed against the amendments to the helicopter law due to the absence of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa advocate general.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Abdul Shakoor and Justice Syed Arshad Ali heard the petitions filed by the K-P government against the amendments to the law on the use of helicopters.

During the hearing, Advocate Tariq Afridi apprised the court that the former provincial government amended the law related to the helicopters which had been challenged.

He said that there was unnecessary use of helicopters during the previous provincial government’s tenure.

Meanwhile, the additional advocate general apprised the court that the advocate general himself wanted to argue the case, but he was not present.

Meanwhile, the provincial assembly speaker’s lawyer Ali Azim Afridi apprised the court that the petitioner had challenged the vires of amendment and had nothing to do with the speaker.

Barrister Amirullah Chamkani apprised the court that the National Accountability Bureau had conducted an inquiry against former MPA Arbab Jehandad.

The court inquired as to what kind of inquiry was ongoing against him.

Barrister Chamkani replied that the former MP was accused of using the helicopter.

“NAB is inquiring that whoever used the helicopter should deposit money.”

He said that as the law regarding the use of helicopters had now been made, how NAB could conduct an inquiry.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2023.