Following the Supreme Court’s verdict on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law amendments case, approximately 2,000 graft cases, including those at various stages from reference to inquiry and investigation, are expected to be restored. The Supreme Court, in a 2-1 majority decision, declared some of the amendments made to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999 by the previous coalition government as against the rights pertaining to public interest enshrined in the Constitution.
The cases set to be restored include those against prominent figures such as former president Asif Ali Zardari, six former prime ministers, including Nawaz Sharif, Shaukat Aziz, Yousuf Raza Gillani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and Shehbaz Sharif, and former finance minister Ishaq Dar. These cases encompass a range of allegations, from Toshakhana references to LNG and rental power references.
Among the 2,000 cases to be restored, 755 are at the inquiry stage, and 292 are at the investigation stage. Approximately 510 cases involve sums of less than Rs500 million, while 168 cases pertain to assets beyond known sources of income. Additionally, 213 cases fall under Section 9A, and 89 cases involve fraud.
The NAB is currently awaiting the detailed judgment, and its prosecution branch is in the process of compiling the relevant data for submission to the chairman.
However, it’s worth noting that the NAB prosecution branch currently lacks a head since the resignation of Justice (retd) Syed Asghar Haider as prosecutor general accountability, and no successor has been named yet.
Furthermore, NAB Balochistan had previously recommended closing an inquiry against Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar due to a lack of evidence a few months ago, seeking formal approval from the NAB headquarters for the closure of the inquiry.