IHC announces verdict on petition against 40-day NAB remand ordinance

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday announced its verdict on a petition challenging a presidential ordinance that extended the maximum period for physical remand in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases. The court had previously reserved its decision after hearing arguments from both sides.

During the hearing at the Islamabad High Court, further details of the arguments against the presidential ordinance extending the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) remand period were presented. The petitioner's counsel, Azhar Siddique, argued before Justice Raja Inam Amin Minhas that the ordinance was specifically intended to prolong the detention of the PTI founder. He reiterated that Parliament had already reduced the remand period from 90 to 14 days, and the presidential ordinance to increase it to 40 days was an unconstitutional overreach, which the National Assembly had rejected.

Opposing the petition, Deputy Attorney General Mian Faisal Irfan contended that the petitioner was not an affected party and that a related matter concerning the ordinance had concluded in the Lahore High Court. After hearing the arguments from both sides, the court reserved its judgment.