Khushal Gardens: Court restrains NAB from arresting ex-Nowshera nazim

Petitioner claims project still alive, no apparent fraud


Our Correspondent November 01, 2018
Peshawar High Court. PHOTO: PPI/FILE

PESHAWAR: A division bench on Wednesday restrained the apex anti-graft body from arresting a former Nazim of Nowshera in an alleged corruption case involving a private housing scheme.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Peshawar director general has been further directed to file comments explaining why they were interfering with a private business.

This was directed by a division bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC), headed by Justice Roohul Amin Khan, on Wednesday.

The petitioner claimed that the housing society, which is being probed, had been widely been advertised and that all the allottees will be taking possession of their respective plots.

As an interim relief, the petitioner urged the court to restrain the respondents from adversely proceeding against the petitioners until the petition has been disposed of.

“There is no apparent fraud with the public at large,” argued Shumail Ahmad Butt, the lawyer for the petitioner.

“The Khushal Gardens Housing Scheme is alive, kicking and a tangible project consisting of 319 Kanals and 10 Marlas,” the lawyer explained, adding his client Daud Khattak — a former nazim of Nowshera — was mentally tortured by the NAB Authorities.

“If there is any dispute amongst the allottees and the management of the ‘Khushal Gardens Housing Scheme’, it does not equip NAB to poke in, start harassing and humiliating the petitioner to kneel down against the unjustified demands of the claimants,” the lawyer said.

The bench, after hearing the initial arguments, ordered the respondents, including the NAB director general to submit a response at the next hearing of the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1st, 2018.

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