News reports that Dar attorney Qazi Misbah appeared before the NAB court judge Muhammad Bashir during the application hearing to quash the former finance minister’s perpetual arrest warrant.
NAB Court:
Misbah argued with the court to quash the arrest warrant during his arguments by outlining the justifications for its issuance. The court responded by asking the attorney if Dar was ill or if there were any other issues.
The attorney promised the court that the PML-N leader will show up in court as soon as he arrived at the airport.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor responded by telling the court that Prosecutor Afzal Qureshi had left to conduct Umrah in response to the judge’s inquiry about the prosecutor’s whereabouts.
The accountability court then continued adjourning the case while suspending Dar’s perpetual warrant until October 7. While granting Ishaq Dar a chance to turn himself in, the court also mandated that the PML-N leader not be detained upon arrival in Pakistan.\
The PML-N leader stated in the plea that according to the NAB Amendment Act, the graft buster had no ability to act in matters involving less than Rs500million and that a reference filed against him accused him of corruption totaling Rs130million.
It is important to note that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which opted to apply the new revisions to the legislation in text and spirit, said on Wednesday that it would not take up corruption cases that involved an amount of less than Rs500 million.
Judge Bashir added that Dar should go back to Pakistan and seek to have the warrant against him canceled. Ishaq Dar, the leader of the PML-N and a self-exiled resident of London, stated on Wednesday that his doctor had granted him “conditional clearance” to return to Pakistan and that he was ready to show up in court for hearings before 15 days.
Dar’s attorney, Qazi Misbah, contested the former finance minister’s ongoing arrest warrant. Dar would appear in court immediately after arriving at the Islamabad airport, the lawyer promised the court.
The NAB prosecutor was then brought up by Judge Bashir. The prosecutor, Afzal Qureshi, had gone to perform Umrah, the court was informed at that time. The accountability court then postponed the hearing and deferred Dar’s perpetual warrant until October 7.
While granting Ishaq Dar a chance to turn himself in, the court also mandated that the PML-N leader not be detained upon arrival in Pakistan. Judge Bashir added that Dar should go back to Pakistan and look into having the arrest warrant against him revoked.
After withdrawing his case to the Supreme Court asking that the accountability court’s order ruling declaring him an absconder be suspended, the former minister made his speech a short time later.
Dar had stated that his petition’s stipulation that he intended to enter Pakistan within 15 days was the basis for his decision to withdraw the plea. Dar had stated that the petitioner should be given a fair trial and that the “honorable accountability court” should suspend the arrest warrant for the defendants.
