ISLAMABAD (PEN) : The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has dismissed a petition filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, challenging a notice issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The hearing was presided over by Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Waqar Ahmad.
During the proceedings, Gandapur’s lawyer argued that NAB could only initiate an inquiry involving amounts over 500 million rupees, but this case involved a sum of only 304 million rupees. In a moment of lightheartedness, Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim pointed out that this seemed to suggest the petitioner was content with the recent changes to NAB regulations. The lawyer humorously agreed, acknowledging the point.
NAB’s prosecutor informed the court that the inquiry was still ongoing, and that the notice previously sent had already expired. He clarified that no new notice had been issued because Gandapur had not appeared before NAB.
Chief Justice Ibrahim then asked whether the recent amendments allowed NAB to investigate cases involving sums exceeding 500 million rupees. The NAB prosecutor confirmed that the inquiry was still in progress, but they could not disclose the exact amount involved, which might, in fact, be higher than 500 million rupees. He also noted that no new notice had been sent because the petitioner had failed to respond to the previous one.
Given that no new notice had been issued, the court decided to dispose of the case. As a result, the PHC dismissed Ali Amin Gandapur’s petition against the NAB notice, bringing the legal challenge to an end—at least for now.
The case highlights the ongoing tensions between political figures and accountability institutions in Pakistan. For Gandapur, this ruling represents a setback in his legal battle, while for NAB, it’s one step further in their complex, often contentious, investigation process.
