New judge appointed at capital’s NAB court

Judge Nasir Javed Rana replaces Judge Muhammad Bashir at Islamabad Accountability Court-I

ISLAMABAD:

The Ministry of Law and Justice has appointed a district and sessions judge, Nasir Javed Rana, as the new judge at Islamabad Accountability Court-I. The accountability court’s incumbent judge, Muhammad Bashir, is set to retire on March 14.

According to the notification issued by the ministry on Monday, Nasir Javed Rana has been appointed as a judge of the accountability court until January 24, 2027.

On January 20, Judge Bashir applied for medical leave until his retirement.

In the letter sent to the IHC and the Ministry of Law and Justice, the judge stated that due to his deteriorating health, he could not perform his duties.

However, the ministry did not approve his request. After his request was denied, the judge withdrew his application on January 27, stating that he was now well and able to perform his duties.

On January 28, Judge Bashir sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, to 14 years in prison for misusing the state’s gift repository during the former’s term as PM. On February 3, the judge once again applied for leave until his retirement on medical grounds.

Judge Bashir was adjudicating a number of high-profile cases, including the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) references filed against former Imran Khan and his wife for their alleged involvement in a £190m scandal.

The judge was also hearing another Toshakhana reference involving former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Yousuf Raza Gillani, as well as former president Asif Ali Zardari as accused.

He was also presiding over the hearing of a fake account case registered against Zardari and a NAB reference against former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

Appointed in 2012 during the tenure of then-PM Gilani, the judge served an unusually long term. Although accountability court judges are typically appointed for three years, Judge Bashir served in the NAB court for eleven years.

His tenure saw appointments by former PM Nawaz Sharif in 2018 and PM Imran Khan in 2021. Judge Muhammad Bashir is probably the only judge in the country who has convicted two former prime ministers in corruption cases.