ISLAMABAD, July 15: The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) has constituted a three-member special bench on the petition of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan against the amendments to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws. The bench will hear the petition on July 19. The three-member bench will be headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and include Justice Aijazul Ahsan and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah. Earlier in June, the former prime minister challenged the amendments in the National Accountability (Amendment) Act (XI of) 2022. In his petition filed under article 184 (3) of the constitution, Imran Khan named the federal government and NAB as respondents. PTI chief said that the recent amendments were in violation of the Constitution. The petition claimed that the amendments have had the “effect of virtually eliminating any white-collar crime, committed by a holder of public office, as prosecutable offence.” The petition said that the amendments were against the basic rights enshrined in articles 9, 14, 19A, 24, and 25 of the constitution while the amendments in sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 14, 15, 21, 23, 25 and 26 of the law were in contradiction with the Constitution. The former PM prayed to the court to declare the amendments void. Earlier, after President Arif Alvi – who was elected by the PTI government – refused to sign the NAB bill into law, the government got it approved by a joint session of the parliament. When it was sent to the president once again, President Dr Arif Alvi sent back the bill unsigned to the Prime Minister’s office while stating that he believes the bill, as passed by the parliament, is regressive in nature, and it will promote corruption by ensuring that the long arm of the law is crippled.- NNI
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