The Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared that the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) notices to PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were illegal.
The notices were about an investigation into the couple for allegedly retaining Toshakhana gifts unlawfully.
The Toshakhana, managed by the Cabinet Division, is responsible for storing gifts and valuable items given to Pakistani public officials. The retention of gifts mentioned in the NAB notice has led to various legal issues for Imran.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had previously disqualified him. On May 10, the Islamabad High Court will indict Imran in a separate case related to the Toshakhana gifts.
Imran and Bushra challenged the NAB case earlier this month, in which they were accused of keeping and “illegally” selling Toshakhana gifts. As a result, the NAB issued notices to Imran and Bushra on February 17 for retaining state gifts. However, the court noted in its ruling issued today that the notices “were not in accordance with the law.”
The IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Babar Sattar co-authored the decision, stating, “In light of the foregoing, the instant petitions are dismissed with observations that the challenged notices are not in accordance with the law and have no legal force.”
The court added that NAB “shall be at liberty” to issue new notices to the petitioners in accordance with the court’s observation.
