RAWALPINDI:
The Nationwide Accountability Bureau (NAB) Court docket in Rawalpindi did not challenge a single verdict in 2024, reflecting broader modifications within the bureau’s operations and authorized framework.
In accordance with sources, Rawalpindi had 4 NAB courts, however two had been dissolved within the first section of restructuring section.
Following new laws launched below the Pakistan Democratic Motion (PDM) authorities in 2022, a major variety of instances had been excluded from NAB’s jurisdiction, leading to lowered caseloads throughout the division.
This led to the closure of a 3rd NAB courtroom, leaving just one operational courtroom in Rawalpindi.
At present, the only remaining NAB courtroom is listening to simply three minor instances, with verdicts anticipated inside the subsequent three months. After the Supreme Court docket just lately struck down some NAB legal guidelines, 27 beforehand dismissed instances had been reinstated. Nonetheless, these instances had been as soon as once more withdrawn following the federal government’s intra-court attraction in favour of the revised laws.
The Rawalpindi NAB courtroom has not obtained any new instances for the previous three years.
Most new instances from Rawalpindi and Islamabad are actually being filed in NAB courts situated in Islamabad.
In accordance with sources, logistical challenges, notably visitors congestion between the 2 cities, have made Islamabad courts a extra handy selection for NAB groups.
If no new instances are filed by the tip of the primary quarter of 2025, the Rawalpindi NAB courtroom dangers changing into largely ceremonial, with little to no lively caseload.