• Ex-CJP son, other suspects didn’t appear before NA panel despite summons.
• “Former chief justice’s son is considering himself a chief justice.”
• Law ministry says warrants can be issued in case of non-compliance.

The National Assembly committee probing audio leaks has summoned bank details of Najam Saqib, son of former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, from the Ministry of Finance and expressed displeasure after the latter failed to appear before the panel.

Earlier this month, NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf set up a special committee to investigate the audio of ex-CJP Nisar’s son — wherein he can be allegedly heard selling a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ticket to a candidate of the Punjab Assembly.

The leaked audio purportedly features two separate telephonic conversations between the former CJP’s son and Abuzar Chadhar — a PTI candidate from PP137 — and Mian Uzair, a middleman between the two.

In the alleged audio, Najam claimed that his father had to work hard to get the ticket awarded and can be heard demanding Rs12 million from Uzair for the party ticket.

The NA panel led by Mohammad Aslam Bhootani and comprising Shahida Akhtar Ali, Muhammad Abubakar, Muhammad Barjees Tahir, Shaikh Rohale Asghar, Syed Hussain Tariq, Naz Baloch, and Khalid Hussain Magsi conducted the proceedings on the matter earlier today.

Bhootani said Najam and other respondents in the matter did not appear before the committee despite the notices being issued to them.

He said Najam was summoned by the committee under Rules 227.

Committee member Asghar called for investigating the bank transactions of the former top judge’s son, saying the Ministry of Finance officials should be summoned in this regard.

“The former chief justice’s son is considering himself a chief justice,” Asghar added.

Another member Tahir said that had former CJP Saqib Nisar believed in the supremacy of law, he would have sent his son to appear before the committee.

Additional secretary legislation National Assembly said the committee can not only summon any person but can also issue arrest warrant and added that the court did not declare the committee illegal.

The rules allow the committee to summon anyone, the secretary added.

The official further added that a committee of parliament has the powers of a civil court.

The chairman of the committee said the NA panel was providing an opportunity to the former top judge’s son to explain his position on the matter.

The committee sought details of the bank accounts of Saqib Nisar’s son and the other two suspects in the case.

The officials of the Ministry of Law told the committee members that the NA panel could issue summon followed by an arrest warrant if the respondent failed to appear before it.