Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday challenged the incumbent government's National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Ordinance amendments in the Supreme Court and asked for the changes to be "struck off from statute book".

Imran had earlier declared his intention to challenge the amendments in the apex court and had said they were tantamount to “legitimising” corruption.

Last month, the National Assembly and the Senate passed the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2022 and the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill 2021, with a view to bringing the necessary reforms the coalition parties had promised.

The government’s decision to steer the legislation into law was vehemently condemned by Imran who termed it a “black day” in the country’s history, charging the "imported government” with ending accountability. He claimed that the ruling elite would reap the biggest fruits from the tweaks.

Earlier this week, President Arif Alvi declined to give his assent to the amendments to the NAB laws, calling the new legislation “regressive” in nature, a day after he returned the Electoral reforms bill without approving it.

In a letter to the prime minister, the president said that he believed that the NAB law bill, in its latest form would “promote corruption” by ensuring that the “long arm of the law” had been crippled.

“It is also a message to the corrupt, who have amassed tremendous wealth, of which there is no doubt in the minds of the people of Pakistan, that they are not accountable and are free to continue to plunder,” Alvi had said, while giving his reasons for his refusal to sign the bill.