LAHORE – The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday admitted for regular hearing a petition challenging the amendment to the National Accountability (Amendment) Act 2022 through a presidential ordinance. The court issued notices to the federation and other respondents for September 17 and sought their replies, besides issuing a notice to the attorney general for Pakistan. Justice Shujaat Ali Khan announced the reserved verdict on the maintainability of the petition filed by Munir Ahmad against the amendment to the act. The court had reserved its verdict on the maintainability of the petition after hearing the initial arguments of the parties earlier in the day.
Earlier, the petitioner’s counsel had argued before the court that the National Accountability Act 2022 was amended through the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance 2024 without fulfilling the criteria. There was no emergent situation for the issuance of such an ordinance as the parliament was operational, he added. He requested the court to set aside the amendment made to the act. In response to a court query, a deputy attorney general submitted that no identical petition was currently pending before the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
However, the question relating to the remand of an accused, arrested under the National Accountability Ordinance 1999, is sub judice before the Apex Court, and any decision by it would have a direct bearing on the amendment to section 24 of the National Accountability (Amendment) Act 2022, he added. The law officer further stated that the court could not conduct parallel proceedings in light of the judgments of the Apex Court.
