After the Supreme Court reinstated the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments, approximately 170 out of 189 references from Peshawar’s accountability courts will be transferred back to NAB.
The transferred references include cases related to money laundering, corruption, and possession of illegal assets valued under Rs 50 crore. However, about ten references will remain in NAB’s four courts, covering high-profile cases against figures such as former federal minister Arbab Alamgir, his wife Asma Alamgir, and former KP minister Sher Azam Wazir.
Additional cases that will stay with NAB involve the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scandal and other corruption allegations. Notably, former IG KPK Malik Naveed’s case will proceed in the accountability court, while former Secretary Welfare Board Tariq Awan’s case will not return to NAB. Moreover, a new reference concerning the BRT scandal is likely against Hasan Rafaq.
Read: Supreme Court Reinstates NAB Amendments, Rules Against Imran Khan
On June 6, a five-member Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, with an additional note by Justice Athar Minallah, reserved its judgment. Later, it delivered a unanimous 5-0 decision reinstating the NAB amendments. This verdict followed intra-court appeals by federal and provincial governments against the declaration of these amendments as unconstitutional.
Previously, the apex court had struck down these amendments on a plea by PTI founder Imran Khan, leading to the restoration of closed graft cases against public officials. The federal government subsequently filed a review plea, asserting that the amendments did not violate basic rights and arguing that legislating is a prerogative of Parliament.
In related news, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed his commitment to combating terrorism during a Defence Day ceremony at GHQ, Rawalpindi. He vowed to continue operations against Fitna-al-Khwarij until their eradication, highlighting the national consensus backing this initiative.
