ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan instructed the federal and Punjab governments to set up a video-link system for Imran Khan, the imprisoned founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to attend the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendment case.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa stated that Khan could present his arguments through video link in the upcoming hearing if he desired.
This decision was made during a hearing on the federal government’s appeal against the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that invalidated certain NAB amendments.
Khan expressed his intention to personally present his arguments in the case. The bench overseeing the appeal comprises Chief Justice Isa and Justices Amin-ud-Din Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Athar Minallah, and Hasan Azhar Rizvi.
This hearing follows a previous ruling by a three-member bench in September 2023, which upheld Khan’s petition challenging amendments to the country’s accountability laws. That ruling, led by then-chief justice Umar Ata Bandial, resulted in the restoration of corruption cases against public officials that had been closed due to the amendments.
The Supreme Court’s decision has significant implications, as it means that corruption cases against several political figures will be reopened in accountability courts. These cases include references against leaders like Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and Raja Pervez Ashraf.
In response to the ruling, the federal government filed an appeal, which is now being heard after a previous adjournment in October.
