PHC rejects contempt of court proceedings against NAB officials

Humayun Khan

PESHAWAR: A divisional bench of Peshawar High Court (PHC) comprising of Justice Kamran Hayat and Justice Fazal Subhan has rejected Contempt of Court (COC) proceedings against National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sought by Pakistan Railway Cooperative Society (PRCS in call-up notice for appearance before inquiry, on Wednesday.

The petition filed by Abu Saeed Jafari and Muhammad Khalid while argued that they are operating a housing society in which a residential scheme for Pak railway employees initiated but NAB has initiated inquiry in this regard.

NAB has summoned the petitioners redundantly as well as issued advertisement in newspaper which has damaged good-well of the PRCS society while argued that court has stopped harassment of applicants but they were apprehended for five hours which contempt of court.

However, NAB’s prosecutor Salman Fayyaz and Assistant Prosecutor General Muhammad Ali appeared before court and argued that petitioners did not appear before inquiry which is initiated on public complaints because the applicants had obtained 200 Kanal land for five thousand persons.

The prosecutors argued that petitioners had obtained status quo against their arrest while didn’t appearing before NAB and now instating in the Investigation of Inquiry. In the meantime, Justice Kamran Hayat observed that applicant should appear before NAB for provision of information and it can’t lay in the jurisdiction of COC while PHC rejected contempt of proceedings in this regard after conclusion of arguments.

Meanwhile, PHC ordered Peshawar Instituted of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Northwest General Hospital for provision of House-job to graduates of Muhammad Medical College (MMC) till further orders in this regard.

The counsel Kamran Tariq and Mohsin Sadiqi advocates argued that the applicants are students of MMC but Pakistan Medical Commission has closed the college due to failure in provision of facilities for education in medicine and surgery while incorporated the students in other medical colleges.