Peshawar High Court Directs NAB to Consider Plea Bargain Request in Kohistan Corruption Case

Peshawar: The Peshawar High Court has directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to consider the plea bargain request of Muhammad Ayub, who is involved in the Kohistan corruption scandal. The court issued the directive during a hearing of the case, where Ayub’s lawyer, Barrister Shoaib Rizak, sought the court’s intervention to prompt NAB to initiate the plea bargain process.
The bench, comprising Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Dr. Khurshid Iqbal, heard the case, with Deputy Prosecutor General (DPG) NAB Muhammad Ali and Special Prosecutor NAB Arbab Kaleemullah appearing in court. The applicant’s lawyer informed the court that his client was willing to engage in a plea bargain with NAB.
Justice Sahibzada Asadullah clarified that it was not the court’s responsibility to instruct NAB on matters related to the plea bargain, emphasizing that the matter between NAB and the applicant was outside the court’s jurisdiction. “This is not our job; this is between NAB and you. How can we direct NAB to initiate a plea bargain? Show us any law for this,” he remarked.
The DPG NAB, Muhammad Ali, informed the court that Ayub was accused of embezzling Rs. 3.4 billion in the Kohistan corruption scandal. He further stated that Ayub had previously filed petitions for interim bail in the Abbottabad and Islamabad High Courts, but both were rejected.
In response, Barrister Shoaib Rizak told the court that his client had appeared before NAB and wished to be treated according to the law. He also stated that Rs. 250 million had been deposited in the NAB court as part of the investigation.
Justice Sahibzada Asadullah inquired whether NAB was open to accepting a plea bargain, to which DPG Muhammad Ali responded that NAB had written to the Chairman on July 2, but it was at the Chairman’s discretion whether to proceed with the plea bargain request.
The court expressed its frustration, saying, “He has surrendered and discussed the plea bargain with NAB, so why is NAB getting emotional about it?”
In the end, the court ruled to dispose of the petition and instructed NAB to review the request in accordance with the law, ensuring that the plea bargain request was heard appropriately. The petition was subsequently dismissed.