The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday turned down a petition challenging appointment of Asghar Haider as National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Prosecutor General (PG). A single bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani after hearing the arguments of all the parties dismissed the petition by terming it non-maintainable. The court observed that the petitioner is not an aggrieved party and, therefore, dismissed the petition.
During the hearing, Additional Attorney General Tariq Khokhar appeared on behalf of Ministry of Law and Justice while special prosecutor NAB Jehanzeb Bharwana represented anti-graft body and Syed Husnain Kazmi represented NAB Prosecutor General Asghar Haider.
Advocate Raja Muhammad Umair Khan had moved the court through Shahid Kamal Khan Advocate and cited NAB chairman, secretary establishment, secretary law, secretary finance and NAB Prosecutor General Syed Asghar Haider as respondents.
The petitioner's stance was that he came to know that the respondents have violated the law of land by favouring Syed Asghar by appointing him prosecutor general NAB in disregard of not only the provisions of law but also the Constitution of Pakistan.
He argued that Haider was retired as judge of Lahore High Court on 8-10-2009 and under Article 207 sub-article (3), it is provided that a person who has held office as a permanent judge, retired judge of the high court; (a) of the Supreme Court, shall not plead or act in any court or before any authority in Pakistan; (b) of a high court, shall not plead or act in any court or before any authority within its jurisdiction.
He maintained that prosecutor general Accountability is appointed under section 8 of National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999. "The crux of the matter is that the prosecutor general accountability is the principal law officer of the NAB who must have the eligibility to appear before the courts established under National Accountability Ordinance and all other courts, meaning thereby that the prosecutor general accountability should have not any type of embargo or restriction on his appearance as an advocate before any court," added the petitioner.
The petitioner contended that the appointment of Syed Asghar as prosecutor general accountability is clear-cut violation of the Rule "right man for the right job." He continued that Haider is having a constitutional bar which makes him ineligible from appearing, practicing or acting as an advocate or a law officer before any court falling under the Lahore High Court so he is ineligible to appear before more than 50 per cent of the courts of Pakistan, hence under any stretch of imagination cannot be considered for appointment on the post of prosecutor general accountability.
Therefore, he prayed to the court that by way of acceptance of this petition, the respondent may be asked to show under what authority and law, he is holding the post of prosecutor general accountability, NAB Islamabad, while the other respondents may be asked to show cause why they have failed to uphold the rule of law and due process of law in the interest of justice and fair play.