ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has given the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) three days to submit response in two separate post-arrest bail pleas filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal.
A two-member bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Lubna Saleem Pervez adjourned the hearing of the petitions till February 13 and warned the anti-graft watchdog that the high court will not entertain request for any more delay.
Abbasi’s lawyer informed the bench that his client has been detained for over 200 days. “He is being deprived of fundamental rights.”
When the bureau asserted that it would submit reply within three to four days, the bench directed NAB to submit response in the next hearing.
Raising objections on NAB’s request for time, Iqbal’s counsel Tariq Jahangir lamented that the bureau dismisses need to detain suspects before the courts but “issues warrants” right after.
Justice Minallah observed that the investigation agency was empowered by an apex court verdict to detain suspects. “If the suspect believes the NAB chairman is abusing his power then they may claim damages.”
The bail plea filed by PML-N lawyer Barrister Zafarullah on behalf of Abbasi maintained that he was a vocal advocate of the supremacy of the constitution, parliamentary democracy, fair electoral process and rule of law.
It added that the former prime minister was critical of the incumbent government’s incompetence and emphasised that he was imprisoned due to political views and is a “prisoner of conscience”.
In his petition, Abbasi stressed on NAB’s “selective accountability” that led to reopening of the case.
Similarly, the bail plea filed by Azam Nazeer Tarar on behalf of Ahsan Iqbal, maintains that the allegations are “false, frivolous and absurd” and the former planning minister has been arrested due to “political victimisation being the secretary-general” of the ruling party’s main opposition.
The petition argues that the anti-graft watchdog has “no evidence” against Iqbal.
