LHC to hear plea challenging amendments to NAB laws

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) fixed a plea, challenging an Ordinance to amend the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law, for hearing, ARY News reported.

LHC Senior Puisne Judge Justice Shujaat Ali Khan will take up the plea, filed by one Munir Ahmed, on Tuesday.

The petitioner challenged the ordinance passed by Acting President Yousuf Raza Gilani that empowered the NAB to keep an accused on physical remand for up to 40 days.

The petitioner pleaded the court to declare the ordinance promulgated by the then Acting President Yousuf Raza Gilani as null and void.

It is pertinent to mention here that the NAB was empowered to keep an accused on physical remand for up to 40 days through an ordinance passed on May 27.

Before the ordinance, a person arrested by the NAB could be remanded into the bureau’s custody for 14 days. However, under the amended law, the duration of physical remand has been increased to 40 days.

Read More: NAB’s remand period extended through ordinance

Furthermore, the punishment for NAB officials for making false cases has been reduced from 5 years to 2 years.

The ordinance was passed amidst a hearing of the NAB amendments case by the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan, challenged by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.