LAHORE – A Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench on Tuesday will hear a petition challenging appointment of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Punjab Director General (DG) Rana Zahid Mehmood. On Monday, the LHC chief justice (CJ) directed the petitioner’s counsel Azhar Siddique to file a new petition along with Zahid’s appointment notification and other necessary documents.
The bench consisting of Justice Chaudhry Iftikhar and Justice Sheikh Ahmed Farooq heard the petition. Shah Faisal Farooq filed the petition through his counsel Azhar Siddique submitting that Zahid, a former LHC judge, was appointed on contract as acting NAB Punjab DG by violating the rules after the SC removed him from the judiciary on a petition filed by the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA). The petitioner said that the SC had declared the contract appointment a violation of its judgement.
Farooq submitted that Zahid was a close relative of Kanal Motors case accused Rana Qaiser Nazir which was being investigated by NAB. He said that Zahid, using his influence had Investigation Officer (IO) Rana Waqas Mehmood removed. The petitioner said that the matter was reported to the NAB chairman and Punjab Police inspector general (IG) through various applications but no action was taken in this regard. Farooq requested the court to declare Zahid’s appointment illegal and transfer the case’s investigation to Waqas.
