ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Friday that as per the apex court’s ruling regarding the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws, the Toshakhana II, along with the Al-Qadir trust case against the party’s founding chairman Imran Khan have been effectively dismissed.

The apex court in its 5-0 unanimous verdict overturned a previous ruling that nullified amendments to the NAB laws, and granted intra-court appeals filed by the federal government and other affected parties, he saisd.

Talking to journalists, Barrister Gohar said that “the Toshakhana II case has practically ended today and Al-Qadir Trust case should also be considered over.”

He explained that under the new law, cabinet decisions are exempted from prosecution, adding “the prosecution has itself admitted that Imran Khan did not gain any personal benefit from the case.” “According to the Supreme Court ruling, both the cases are now finished. The Al-Qadir Trust case should be dismissed on merit and Toshakhana II cannot proceed. Bushra Bibi’s name was never on the Toshakhana list. It was only included to pressure Imran Khan,” he added.

He also said that the Supreme Court's decision has now made the law clear, adding, “A case involving cabinet decisions cannot be pursued by NAB. We are present in Parliament though questionable individuals are sitting there.”

The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, approved the government's appeals regarding the NAB amendments and declared the amendments valid. The court reinstated the changes made to the NAB laws during the previous PDM-led government. The ruling also overturned the majority decision by former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and retired Justice Ijazul Ahsan, which had nullified the amendments.

The PTI chairman revealed that the PTI delegation had met with the government’s team. “We’ve met with Rana Sanaullah and Hanif Abbasi along with Asad Qaiser.” He said that the party proposed to the government that the military leadership should brief Parliament on the Balochistan issue.

Gohar called for a discussion in parliament on Balochistan issue, saying, “There is no personal enmity. If someone has done wrong, it should be dealt with according to the law.”

He also said that the party’s scheduled public rally on September 8 would focus on issues of inflation, unemployment, enforced disappearances, lawlessness, and Imran Khan’s release.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024