IHC issues notice to NAB in Toshakhana probe

ISLAMABAD (INP): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices on Monday to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking replies over its investigation into the Toshakhana (gift depository) case while the matter remains sub judice.
The high court announced its reserved verdict over an application filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s wife and former first lady Bushra Bibi challenging the summons notices issued by NAB. Chief Justice (CJ) IHC Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz presided over the hearing.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer Khwaja Haris argued that the NAB notices contained incomplete information. “They are issuing notices stating that powers were abused without detailing who abused their powers at what level,” Haris maintained. The lawyer argued that NAB was legally bound to provide information about why someone is being summoned but notices “merely state that the inquiry is against pubic office holders”.
“The questionnaire seeks answers but the charges are yet to be detailed,” he added stressing that summons orders can only be issued once it has been clarified that the concerned party is being ordered to appear as the accused or a witness. He also said that the orders were issued just a day after former NAB chief Aftab Sultan resigned from his post who “had revealed that there was pressure on him”.
Notably, the petitioner had requested the court to declare the notices from February 16 and 17 illegal. She had requested that the NAB inquiry be stopped from being converted into an investigation until a decision is taken on the application in which NAB has also been made a party. The anti-graft watchdog had summoned Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case on March 21.
Earlier, the accountability watchdog had summoned the PTI chief and his wife to their Rawalpindi office on March 9 for an investigation in the Toshakhana case. Imran’s summons notice was sent to his residences at Bani Gala and Chak Shehzad in Islamabad.