PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court on Wednesday stopped anti-corruption establishment (ACE), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from taking any action against former chief minister Mahmood Khan in the light of an FIR registered against him over a decade-old issue from the time when he was provincial minister for sports.

A bench consisting of PHC Chief Justice Syed Mohammad Attique Shah and Justice Mohammad Ijaz Khan allowed a week time to Mr Mahmood Khan to file a fresh petition to challenge the FIR registered by ACE on Oct 3, 2024, wherein he along with two former officials of sports department wascharged.

Advocate Sultan Mohammad Khan appeared for the petitioner and stated that through the present petition his client had challenged an inquiry started by ACE against him last year over a `source report` on a matter when he was the sports minister in the cabinet of the then chief minister Pervez Khattak.

He said that ACE had alleged that as a provincial minister, Mahmood had transferred government funds to the tune of Rs1.8 million to his personal accounts for onward distribution among deserving players.

He argued while the petitioner had challenged the said inquiry, he now came to know that ACE had subsequently registered an FIR in the matter. He said that his client had been elected multiple times to important public offices, including nazim, MPA, provincial minister and chief minister.

He said that the people of the province in general and that of Swat area in particular hadtime and again reposed their trust in Mahmood because of his selfless services provided to the people.

Mr Khan said that the last general elections were held on Feb 8, 2024, which led to formation of a new government both at federal and provincial levels.

He added that the newlyformed provincial government was that of the petitioner`s political rivals.

The lawyer claimed that the provincial government had been continuously trying to harass and intimidate the petitioner with various tactics, including taking away his se curity and other staff as permitted under the law to a former chief minister.

Mr Khan said that his client had received a notice on Sept 3, 2024, which declared that an inquiry was going on regarding the petitioner`s tenure as provincial minister and as such was related to events that were almost about a decade old.

He claimed that the respondents, including the ACE director and its circle inspector,were pursuing the impugned inquiry against the petitioner despite there being no case made against him just to provide fake results of their performance to high-ups.

He stated that after the development of registration of the FIR, he might be allowed some time to file a fresh petition to challenge the same. The bench allowed him to file a fresh plea to challenge the said FIR.

Meanwhile, the bench also extended astay orderinfavour of former additional director general sports, Tariq Mahmood, restraining ACE from arresting him in the same case.

Advocate Ali Azim Afridi appeared for Tariq Mahmood and stated that his client had challenged the FIR wherein he had been charged along with the other petitioner Mahmood Khan.

He said that the court had earlier granted interim relief to his client and the same might be extended so that ACE shouldn`t harass the petitioner.