'Sixer on last ball'

ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE:

The Supreme Court’s decision to restore the corruption cases against prominent political figures has elicited a flurry of mixed reactions in political circles, with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) cheering it as a prelude to justice against corruption.

The court, with a majority of 2 to 1, declared the former prime minister Imran Khan’s plea challenging amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law as maintainable.

The ruling is expected to have far-reaching consequences, as the corruption cases against the political bigwigs take centre stage once again.

Reacting to the ruling, former interior minister Rana Sanaullah expressed his disagreement and said that he has not yet read the written verdict. However, he criticised the top court, calling its bench and the ruling controversial.

Sanaullah also accused the retiring CJP Umar Atta Bandial of causing harm to the judiciary.

Read SC delivers a stunning blow to politicians

He pointed out that leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have already faced inquiries in their respective cases and said now it was the PTI’s turn to taste it.

He said that the PTI chairman, who has around 13 cases registered against him, should also face the inquiries and experience the consequences.

According to Sanaullah, abolishing the "unkind" NAB law would not be fair, as PML-N leaders have already suffered its repercussions.

He predicted that the deposed prime minister would face 90 days of remand and be denied bail in the cases he is currently facing, preventing the PTI from claiming political victimisation.

‘Sixer on the last ball’

Meanwhile, Sheikh Rashid, chief of the Awami Muslim League (AML) and a close aide of Imran Khan, said that CJP Justice Umar Atta Bandial, who is set to retire on September 16, has delivered a significant blow with the verdict.

The outgoing CJP, Rashid said, has "hit a great sixer on the last ball of his last innings".

He added that former government leaders had attempted to close their cases for the past 16 months, but the ruling has put them back in the dock.

Meanwhile, PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan also expressed satisfaction, stating that the verdict has once again placed the "Sharifs, Zardaris, Gilanis" in the position of facing criminal charges.

Hasan praised the Supreme Court for annulling the self-serving NAB amendments and reinstating the cases against those who have allegedly looted national wealth.

Furthermore, he hoped that justice would prevail and hold these criminals accountable for their actions while emphasising that justice is vital for the country's progress.

PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen echoed these sentiments, expressing hope that NAB would not be misused for political engineering.

He noted that NAB amendments made by the previous government were struck down by the Supreme Court, highlighting the need to prevent the misuse of this institution for political purposes.