A two-member bench comprising Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Inamullah issued a detailed written judgment on appeals filed against the freezing of assets. The high court declared the Accountability Court’s decision dated October 31, 2025, null and void and sent the case back for retrial.
During the hearing, counsel for the petitioners, Shabir Khan, Muhammad Riaz, and Irshadul Hassan, argued that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had frozen the petitioners’ assets during an inquiry. When objections were raised before the Accountability Court, the court ignored material evidence and rejected all objections, they contended.
In its ruling, the Peshawar High Court observed that dismissing the objections without proper inquiry and recording of evidence amounted to a violation of the right to a fair trial. The court directed the Accountability Court to hear both parties afresh, record evidence, and pass a decision strictly in accordance with the law within one month.
The high court also restrained the NAB from taking any coercive action regarding possession of the petitioners’ properties until the final decision of the case and ordered that the petitioners should not be harassed.
It may be recalled that NAB had frozen the assets of Iftikhar Ahmed and Safia Parveen in Hayatabad, Peshawar. The couple had approached the high court challenging the freeze order.
The detailed judgment has now been released, providing clear guidelines for the lower court to ensure transparency and due process in the matter.