Overview
- A three-judge bench led by Justice Hashim Kakar heard the review petition and adjourned the case, directing lawyers to return fully prepared.
- NAB told the court that former minister Anwar Saifullah asked the OGDCL chairman to issue appointment letters and argued that hiring should have been done through public advertisements.
- Officials had cited parliamentary pressure for jobs, as justices stressed Pakistan is not a monarchy and that unlawful directives must be refused.
- Judges and NAB highlighted pervasive overstaffing in state bodies, with NAB saying it contributed to PIA’s privatization.
- Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim noted the recruitments predated the accountability commission law and that Saifullah has served his sentence, while NAB sought dismissal of the review to uphold the earlier verdict.