SC temporarily halts verdicts in accountability cases

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has taken a momentous step by instructing all accountability courts to refrain from delivering final verdicts in ongoing cases.

This directive comes in light of the court’s pending decision on the intra-court appeal concerning amendments to the NAB law.

The apex court’s decision underscores that no final verdict should be pronounced in any trial until a resolution is reached regarding the NAB law amendments.

To this end, the Supreme Court has issued formal notices to key stakeholders, including the PTI chairman, the attorney general, and all advocate generals.

Seven former PMs beneficiaries of NAB amendments

The court’s proceedings today revolved around an intra-court appeal challenging its prior decision to nullify the NAB law amendments.

 A five-member bench presided over the hearings, with Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa leading the panel. The bench also featured Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Aminuddin, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, and Justice Azhar Rizvi.

This particular intra-court appeal holds historical significance, as it is the first of its kind under the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act.

It stems from a previous decision by former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, who declared the NAB law amendments of 2022 null and void following an application by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In response, the federal government lodged an appeal against the annulment using the provisions of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act.