Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday said “overseeing the economic policy” is not the Supreme Court’s job.

“If someone has been charged with a crime, the law has a fully transparent trial procedure,” he said while hearing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) petition regarding the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) bill amendments.

During the hearing, PTI lawyer Khawaja Harris said the change in NAB law has made the definition of benamidar very difficult.

Responding to the arguments, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah asked on which constitutional provision should the law be declared null and void.

Harris replied saying that the prevailing matter involves corruption committed by public representatives. “Where public money is concerned, the matter falls under fundamental rights.”

He highlighted how the fake accounts case also included the matter of benamidars. “A person known as Abbas Zardari was Faryal Talpur’s benamidar.”

Harris further said economic policies should be as such that fundamental rights are not affected.

“First tell us which fundamental right has been violated in the NAB law amendment bill,” Justice Shah said. “For instance if the parliament has decided a limit for NAB to investigate corruption then how is the right of a common citizen be affected.”

Harris responded saying that cases that are already being investigated by the anti-graft watchdog will be impacted by the newly made amendments.

The court asked PTI’s lawyer if there was any precedent where an old law was applicable again legally.

“How can the court declare a law made by the parliament as null and void on the request of a citizen?”

The PTI lawyer replied saying that the court can interfere because the matter involves public money. “Fake accounts were created to hide the actual owner.”

To this, Justice Shah questioned “How were fundamental rights impacted by this?”

Lawyer Harris said public money and fundamental rights are connected to each other. “Corruption by powerful people affects basic human rights,” he added. “Even the economic policy is connected to this.”