PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday stopped the National Accountability Bureau, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from arresting Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan Vice-Chancellor Dr Ihsan Ali and directed the vice- chancellor to join investigation into the allegations of irregularities in the procurement of equipment and scholarships.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Mohammad Daud Khan disposed of a petition filed by VC Dr Ihsan Ali asking the NAB to continue investigating the case but not to arrest the petitioner.

The petitioner had challenged the issuance of a call-up notice to him by the NAB on June 16 asking him to turn up at the bureau’s office for questioning about the allegations of irregularities in procurement of equipment for the university and scholarships.

The petitioner’s lawyer, Syed Arshad Ali, said his client was a prominent academician and noted archeologist, who enjoyed great respect in his field across the world.

Asks VC Dr Ihsan to join probe into alleged administrative anomalies

He said few months ago, the NAB had issued a call-up notice to his client asking him to appear in an inquiry related to alleged illegal appointment of around 700 persons to the university.

The lawyer said his client had challenged that call-up notice and the high court had granted him interim relief by stopping the NAB from arresting or harassing him.

He added that the court had asked the petitioner to cooperate with the NAB in the investigation of that case.

The lawyer said the NAB had again issued a call-up notice to his client asking him to appear in the instant case.

He said instead of conducting simultaneous inquiries into different allegations, which all pertained to the misuse of power, the NAB had been bifurcating almost identical allegations into different inquiries. He added that the present practice adopted by the NAB was only meant to harass suspects.

The lawyer said the NAB should have conducted all investigations at a time instead of initiating inquiries one after the other.

NAB deputy prosecutor general Mohammad Jamil Khan said the nature of the present inquiry was different from that of the earlier one due to which the instant inquiry was kept separate from it.

The chief justice observed that NAB had been adopting a practice of conducting consecutive inquiries against a suspect and subsequently filing different references against an individual which was only meant to harass him.

He asked if any person had committed different offences, why the bureau had not been conducting simultaneous inquiries in that respect.

PETITION DISPOSED OF: The bench disposed of a petition filed by a widow after the provincial government informed that she had been paid compensation for the killing of her husband in accordance with the orders of the court.

The petitioner, Maryam Bibi, said her husband, Abbas Khan, was a primary school teacher, who was kidnapped by militants in 2010 before being killed.

Few days ago, the high court had directed the finance department to pay her compensation in accordance with the prevalent shuhada package within a week.An additional advocate general informed the court that its orders had been complied with and the petitioner had been paid compensation in line with the existing rules.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2016