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The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that all appeals and bail petitions filed under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law will now be heard by the Federal Constitutional Court. The judgment clarifies that the Supreme Court no longer has jurisdiction over these matters following amendments made to the accountability law earlier this year. In its detailed written verdict, the court stated that the legal amendments introduced to the NAB law have transferred the authority to hear appeals and bail applications from the Supreme Court to the Federal Constitutional Court. The judges observed that Sections 32 and 32A of the amended NAB law do not empower the Supreme Court to hear such cases. The ruling further states that all pending NAB appeals and bail petitions currently before the Supreme Court will automatically be treated as transferred to the Federal Constitutional Court under the relevant constitutional provisions. This means future proceedings in accountability cases will be conducted by the newly established constitutional forum. The decision also has significant implications for the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who had challenged a High Court decision regarding his bail before the Supreme Court. His petition had earlier been returned by the Supreme Court Registrar after procedural objections were raised. Following the latest judgment, his bail application will now be heard by the Federal Constitutional Court. The question of jurisdiction emerged during proceedings in another pending NAB case before the Supreme Court. During the hearing, the bench examined whether the court could continue hearing accountability matters after the recent amendments to the NAB law. The amendments, enacted on March 5, 2026, reassigned the authority to hear NAB appeals and bail petitions to the Federal Constitutional Court through Section 32A of the amended law. The changes were introduced as part of broader judicial and constitutional reforms. The case was heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, with Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan as members of the bench. During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the Supreme Court should retain the power to hear bail applications in NAB cases. He referred to an earlier post-amendment decision in which the Supreme Court had granted bail in an accountability matter. Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, representing the federal government, argued that all NAB appeals and bail petitions should now be heard exclusively by the Federal Constitutional Court. He maintained that different stages of the same case could not be heard simultaneously by two separate courts, as this would create legal complications and procedural inconsistencies.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Salman Akram Raja has said he had no authority to remove Mashal Yousafzai from the Senate. He said he chose to overlook the matter to prevent divisions within the party. Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad, Raja said Mashal Yousafzai was not acting alone and had a group supporting her. He said the facts would eventually come before everyone. He added that he would not further fuel an issue that had already been given unnecessary attention in the past. Raja also said he did not know who had made Mashal Yousafzai a senator. Speaking to journalists at the Adiala Jail factory checkpoint in Rawalpindi, Raja said that allegations should be backed by evidence. He said false allegations remained false regardless of who made them. He said he had been practising law and continued to do so. He described some of the statements made against him as completely baseless. Raja said such allegations would have to be answered. He added that the party would take action over the matter. Comments on political developments Speaking about the political situation, Raja said September 27 was not a distant date. He said political activity was continuing on a daily basis. He said time passes quickly and described September 27 as an important date. Raja also said that a revolution could not be brought about by a single political party. He said it required the participation of the entire nation. On negotiations with the government, he said there was currently no formal offer from the government. However, Raja said PTI had not rejected negotiations on principle at any level. He described reports of an alliance with the Pakistan Peoples Party as premature. He said two parties could have similar positions on a particular issue without forming an alliance. PTI denies link with terrorism Raja strongly rejected any alleged connection between PTI and terrorism. He said PTI had never had any association with terrorism. Referring to the person killed in Rawalpindi, he said the party did not know which group the man belonged to or what activities he had been involved in. Raja described PTI as a peaceful political party. He said the party opposed terrorism and had never been part of any violent activity. He maintained that PTI was continuing its political struggle within the framework of the Constitution and the law.