ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Irfan Qadir said on Thursday that cases of high court judges can be referred to NAB if there is “criminal extent or element of corruption”. Addressing a press conference, SAPM said the NAB Ordinance envisages accountability across the board. “There are no sacred cows when it comes to accountability,” he said. Irfan Qadir was of the opinion that the judicial system was being manipulated by some outsiders, and it also indicated an element of corruption. He further said that considering such cases, the government has shown extreme caution regarding the formation of a commission to investigate the matter. He said that it has provided a fair opportunity to the judges to prove their innocence.
He further said that if the report of the commission was favorable, the matter would not have been referred to the Supreme Judicial Council or NAB. He said the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023 empowered the Supreme Court and protected the Chief Justice from impeachment, but “the court constituted a bench against the law. The government and parliamentarians made the Supreme Court its head.” SAPM said that NAB has found more evidence in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case, in which transactions of Rs 4.50 billion were traced from the accounts of Farhat Shahzadi, a friend of the former prime minister’s wife. SAPM said efforts are on to bring her and her husband back from abroad for further investigation.
