IHC declares NAB notices to Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi in Toshakhana case illegal
Pakistan
NAB had issued notices to them for investigation into the Toshakhana case
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday invalidated the call-up notices issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in a reference regarding Toshakhana gifts.
A two-member bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Babar Sattar, issued the verdict stating that the notices had no legal status.
The former premier and his wife had challenged the notices in the high court, making the NAB chairman and additional director of NAB Rawalpindi respondents in the case.
Bushra Bibi had pleaded the court to declare the notices null and void. She also requested the high court to bar the NAB from taking any disciplinary action against her on the basis of the notices. The petitioner asked the court to stop the NAB from converting the case inquiry into an investigation.
The petition had been filed in the IHC after she failed to appear before the anti-graft watchdog to join the inquiry proceedings in the reference.
A notice issued to Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and others in the Toskhana case in February this year states: “The competent authority has taken cognisance of an offence allegedly committed by the accused persons under the provisions of NAO, 1999. In this regard, the inquiry proceedings have revealed that during your tenure in office you retained some state gifts presented to you by various foreign dignitaries including the following luxury items — five Rolex wristwatches; one iPhone presented by Chief of Staff, Qatar Armed Forces, dated 14.11.2018; (No. E67574V3), a pair of cufflinks, one ring; unstitched cloth of pant coat from Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia dated 18.09.2020; Graff gift set containing one Graff wristwatch Master Graff Special Edition Mecca timepiece, one 18K gold and diamond Graff pen and a ring and pair of cufflinks with micro-painting of Mecca.”
“You are therefore requested to join the inquiry proceedings before the Combined Investigation Team (CIT), NAB (Rawalpindi/Islamabad), Civic Centre, G-6, Islamabad,” reads the notice.
