PAC seeks SC judge's assets details within 15 days
Pakistan
PAC gives 15 day deadline for records
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday sought asset details of Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Mazahir Ali Naqvi within 15 days.
It comes as the National Assembly had instructed PAC Chairman Noor Alam Khan to launch an investigation into Mr Naqvi’s assets, thus tightening the noose around him. The justice has also been facing multiple references at various forums.
Thirteen out of 14 members of the PAC gave a go ahead for the investigation, with PTI's Mohsin Aziz staying away at a meeting chaired by Mr Khan. The PAC chairman said it was not a matter concerning Mr Naqvi only but corruption, adding that if members of his (Noor Alam's) family had committed corruption, he would have chased them.
The committee sought record of tax returns, wealth statement, plots allotted by the ministry of housing, lands bought or sold, and foreign tours of Mr Naqvi. Mr Khan instructed Auditor General of Pakistan to present a report on investigation of categorsiation of plots allotted and Nadra to provide details of Mr Naqvi’s family.
The PAC chairman warned of issuing warrants for chief secretaries over their absence from the committee’s next meeting as Secretary Finance, Secretary Interior, provincial chief secretaries, NAB chairman and Nadra chairman had failed to make themselves available for the meeting.
Mr Khan also expressed resentment over their absence, saying he had a lot of pieces of evidence and wanted to test the integrity of civil servants.
Mr Naqvi had come to the spotlight after Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah released an audio of an alleged conversation between the top court’s judge and former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi. Following the audio leaks, the Pakistan Bar Council announced that it would file a reference against Justice Naqvi. Later, the Sindh Bar Council and the Balochistan Bar Council also filed references against him.
A reference had also been filed in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against him followed by two top court judges, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, and Justice Sardar Tariq Masood writing to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial to convene a meeting of the council to probe the allegations made against Justice Naqvi.
