KHUDAYAR MOHLA

ISLAMABAD: Justice Dost Muhammad Khan of Supreme Court observed Thursday that judges and generals should also be held accountable without discrimination.

Resuming the hearing of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB’s) appeal challenging Peshawar High Court’s verdict on illegal purchase of weapons by KPK police, a two-member bench led by Justice Dost Muhammad Khan emphasized for across the board accountability in accordance with law.

Justice Dost Muhammad remarked that in his opinion the judges and generals should also be held accountable like other common citizens of the country.

Responding to court’s query, Special Prosecutor of NAB Imranul Haq apprised the court that new accountability law is still in pipeline, to which Justice Dost Muhammad Khan observed there should be accountability of everyone, saying the Bureau should refrain from carrying out a practice which may lead the general public or parliamentarians to demand abolishment of the NAB.

Peshawar High Court had remanded the case to Sessions Court Peshawar to decide the matter on merit. However, the trial court had ordered that the charges should not be framed against the accused who included the KPK police officials – former Joint Director Intelligence Bureau, Peshawar, Suleman Khan, ex-CPO Peshawar Kashif Alam and Sadiq Kamal Orakzai, Deputy Commandant National Police Academy.

Earlier, Justice Dost remarked that the NAB has filed the reference without the approval of Prosecutor General to which Imranul Haq submitted that since November 23 the NAB had sent a summary to the Ministry of Law and Justice for appointment of Prosecutor General, adding that approval for the reference was obtained from the former prosecutor general.

Later, the bench dismissed appeal of the NAB in the matter.