Accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir gets three-year extension

ISLAMABAD: The federal government approved on Thursday a three-year extension in the tenure of Accountability Court-I Judge Mohammad Bashir.

Judge Bashir is hearing corruption references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family. 

According to a notification by the law ministry, the president has approved a one-term extension of the judge. He will now serve at his post until March 12, 2021. 

The law secretary, a day earlier, had informed the Supreme Court that the term of Judge Bashir will be extended before its expiry. 

The assurance came after the apex court took notice of the government's failure to extend the judge's tenure.

Taking notice, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar had summoned the law secretary to explain what the government is doing about the matter as the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has requested the law ministry for an extension in the judge's tenure.

Appearing in court, the law secretary informed the apex court that the summary of the extension has been forwarded to the Prime Minister's Secretariat and will be approved in a few days.

Judge Bashir has been conducting the proceedings since September last year when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed three corruption references against Nawaz and his family and one against then-finance minister Ishaq Dar in light of the Supreme Court's verdict in the Panama Papers case.

Judge Bashir was appointed to the accountability court in 2012. In 2015, the federal government, on recommendations of the IHC, extended his tenure for three years.