LHC stops NAB and ACE from arresting Imran until March 24
Pakistan
Orders NAB to submit the list of cases lodged against Khan first
LAHORE (Dunya News) – The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday stopped the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Punjab anti-corruption establishment (ACE) from arresting PTI chief Imran Khan until March 24.
Justice Tariq Saleem heard the plea seeking details on the cases lodged against Mr Khan. The plaintiff submitted the report along with the affidavit.
PTI senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry, the lawyer representing Mr Khan, inquired the plaintiff if the affidavit had been attached to the report. Justice Sheikh remarked it was not Mr Chaudhry's but the court’s duty to question this. The plaintiff replied he had been handed over the list of 23 cases following which the court ordered to sign the list.
The plaintiff argued he had submitted the list to which Mr Chaudhry argued that they were expecting a hundred cases against Mr Khan but [the list showed that] they were exceeding a hundred. Azhar Siddique, Mr Khan’s lawyer, argued the number of cases registered against the former PM was 84 in Punjab and 43 in Islamabad, while the numbers had been 56 and 33 a day ago respectively.
Mr Chaudhry argued that cases were being lodged against Mr Khan in a matter of hours.
When the NAB lawyer sought time to submit his reply in the case, the court declined his request while ordering him to present the report at the earliest. The court remarked that the NAB lawyer was supposed to submit the list of cases lodged against Mr Khan only, to which the lawyer argued that a copy of the petition must be provided to him so he might submit the reply.
Mr Siddique argued he had written to the NAB for the list of cases on Feb 17 adding that it was his right to know the number of cases registered against Mr Khan.
Upon this, the court stopped the anti-corruption watchdogs from arresting Mr Khan until March 24 and revoked the stay order it had issued earlier.
