ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) sought closing arguments regarding the powers and jurisdiction of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The court put off the hearing till on November 18.
The case involving allegations of harassment made by a woman against some senior National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials was taken up by IHC judge Amir Farooq (NAB).
Safdar Shaheen, the counsel for NAB Director General Shahzad Saleem, counsel for the former NAB chairman, Shoaib Shaheen, and the counsel for the PAC appeared in court alongside Deputy Attorney General Fazlur Rahman Niazi.
The PAC’s response was presented at the hearing. The NAB Additional Prosecutor General informed the court that very brief para-wise comments had been filed.
The judge inquired as to whether or not PAC had jurisdiction on harrasment. The attorney for PAC then informed the court that the complaint of harassment had something to do with the inquiry commission.
Jahanzeb Bharwana, an additional prosecutor general of the NAB, said that the report did not mention the PAC’s jurisdiction.
Additional Prosecutor General Jahanzeb Bharwana said that there was no word in the report regarding the jurisdiction.
Justice Farooq said that if the allegations of the woman were to be believed, those fell in the jurisdiction of the Federal Investigation Agency.
Bharwana said that the PAC could summon relevant records if there was an inquiry against an officer. Still, the parliamentary panel could not ask for any kind of record on its own.
