Supreme Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial has said that elections were a form of accountability in themselves while hearing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) petition against the recent amendments to laws of accountability.
The chief justice made these remarks as a three-member bench including Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah heard the PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s petition.
The National Accountability (Second Amendment) Act 2022 was passed by the upper and lower houses of the parliament this week.
During the hearing today, federal government’s counsel Advocate Makhdoom Ali Khan said that no objections were raised on the NAB amendments by the bar council or civil society. He added that efforts were underway to transform the Supreme Court into the third chamber of the parliament.
In response, Imran Khan’s lawyer pointed out that the law was challenged in the Islamabad High Court by the Islamabad Bar Council.
Makhdoom further said that Imran Khan was himself in favor of the amendments earlier and if this was a political strategy, any forum other than courts should be tried.
The CJ remarked that the court had to see public interest and the economy was on the brink of collapse. Justice Ahsan noted that the court was not focusing on who introduced the law, but rather if it violated fundamental rights.
CJ Bandial said that this was a case in which the court would not act in haste. He added that elections themselves were a kind of accountability, and people held their leaders answerable.
The court asked the lawyers to submit detailed written responses and the hearing was adjourned till August 19.
