The Lahore High Court Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan on Thursday constituted a full bench to hear a petition challenging the legitimacy of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan will head the three-judge full bench along with Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan and Justice Asjad Javed Ghural.

Justice Qasim Khan had recommended formation of a larger bench for disposal of the matter. However, he had turned down a plea of the petitioner to restrain NAB chairman former Justice Javed Iqbal from performing duty and to suspend all proceedings pending before the accountability courts till final decision on the petition.

Senior bar member A.K. Dogar filed the petition pleading that there was no provision in the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 for the formation of a bureau. The lawyer also asked the court to quash sentence awarded to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and all other accused persons under the accountability ordinance.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019