National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Prosecutor General KK Agha assured the Supreme Court on Thursday that NAB would not arrest former attorney general Malik Muhammad Qayyum on his arrival due to his indisposition, but insisted that he would have to join the inquiry against him per the court’s order. Appearing on notice, KK Agha told a seven-judge special bench headed by Justice Nasirul Mulk and comprising Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Muhammad Ather Saeed, which was hearing the NRO implementation issue, that though they had issued warrants for Qayyum, they would allow him the time he required for recovery from his illness.
He said they had issued warrants as the former attorney general was not attending the NAB inquiry. Wasim Sajjad, counsel for Malik Qayyum, pleaded that his client had been operated upon and his case should be transferred to Pakistan Bar Council as he was a lawyer. Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany remarked that the case against his client pertained to misuse of authority. The court, rejecting the plea, remarked that people returned the other day after undergoing a operation like Qayyum’s. It questioned was Qayyum above the law for being a lawyer. The court said Qayyum misused his authority being the attorney general.