Reference against Dar: Accountability court adjourns hearing till Jan 2

Asks prosecutor general to present the IHC order on next hearing

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Thursday adjourned hearing of a National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) reference against the former finance minister Ishaq Dar in view of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order which on Wednesday stayed Dar’s trial till January 17.

The Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir adjourned the case when the NAB prosecutor informed the court about IHC’s order of December 20. In the said order, the high court had restrained the accountability court from proceeding further till the next date of hearing.



When the case was taken up on Thursday, the court asked the prosecutor to present the IHC order. The prosecutor said he has applied for the order and will submit it by the next date of hearing. The court then adjourned the case till January 2.

The IHC division bench – comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb – on Dec 20 granted stay over proceedings before the trial court till Jan 17. The bench also extended stay on the process of attaching moveable property of Dar’s surety giver, Ahmed Ali Quddusi, till the next date.

On Sep 27, the trial court indicted Dar, who had pleaded not guilty and decided to stand trial in the NAB reference filed against him in line with the Supreme Court’s July 28 judgment in Panamagate case.