The Supreme Court has ruled that civil servants are not legally bound to follow unlawful orders, even if they come from the Prime Minister, while hearing a case related to illegal recruitments in OGDC Limited. During the proceedings, the court asked lawyers to prepare arguments for a review petition filed by a former minister and observed that appointments must follow due process through advertisements, stressing that a minister is not above the law. The bench noted claims by NAB that pressure was exerted from Parliament for the recruitments but clarified that illegal directives need not be obeyed. Justice Hashim Kakak remarked that most government departments already have staff beyond approved strength and highlighted excessive hiring at PIA as a reason for its privatisation, while Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim pointed out that the Accountability Commission law was not in force at the time of the recruitments.