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       ？ Babar slams NAB in SC, citing ‘institutional collapse’, rights violations

       ？ Criticises watchdog for spending ‘billions’ without fulfilling its constitutional mandate

       ISLAMABAD: Former law minister and leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Babar Awan, appearing as amicus cur-iae (friend of the court), strongly criticised the National Accoun-tability Bureau (NAB), alleging it has “miserably failed” to fulfill its constitutional mandate des-pite consuming “billions, if not trillions” from the national treasury.

       The remarks were made during proceedings on a petition filed by convict Ghulam Mujtaba Khan, from whom NAB is seeking recovery of Rs7.8 million in fines years after he completed his sentence.

       In his written submissions, Mr Awan accused NAB of institutional failure, political manipulation, and violations of constitutional protections

       He said that the anti-graft watchdog has turned a blind eye to powerful offenders, allowing corruption to become “rampant at all levels” and thereby undermining the rule of law.

       Referring to Section 33E of the NAB Ordinance, Mr Awan alleged it has been used to exert political pressure and extract money from settlements.

       He argued that NAB’s ongoing attempt to recover fines from Mr Mujtaba constitutes “double punishment,” in violation of Article 13(a) of the Constitution, which prohibits punishing a person twice for the same offence.

       The PTI leader maintained that there was no legal or judicial determination declaring the fine a “due sum” after Mr Mujtaba had already served both his original three-year sentence and an additional six-month default sentence for non-payment.

       He cited multiple constitutional provisions and laws allegedly violated by NAB’s actions, including: Article 13(a): Protection against double jeopardy, Article 8: Invalidation of laws inconsistent with fundamental rights, Article 227: Requirement for laws to conform with Islamic injunctions, Section 26 of the General Clauses Act (1897) and relevant criminal law provisions.

       Mr Awan requested the Supreme Court to direct NAB to disclose all amounts recovered over the last 15 years through plea bargains, voluntary returns, settlements, and court orders.

       He also sought an order compelling anti-graft watchdog to submit a report on all cases withdrawn or abandoned following amendments to the NAB Ordinance, specifically citing the Asfand Yar Wali case.

       Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2025