Fake accounts case: Zardari, Faryal to appear in court today

Security heightened to apprehend PPP workers who tried to create law, order situation during previous hearing

ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI: Former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur will appear before an accountability court in Rawalpindi on Monday (today) in the multibillion rupees fake accounts case.

Keeping in view the events of the previous hearing, special security arrangements have been made to avoid any untoward incident.

According to sources, police high-ups in the federal capital held a meeting in which security arrangements for Asif Zardari’s appearance at the accountability court today were finalised.

Sources said police are prepared to arrest PPP workers who have been named in the March 20 FIR registered at the Secretariat police station.



Dozens of workers, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokar, have been named in the case for their alleged violence against police and attempt to create a law and order situation during the hearing of Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto at NAB headquarters.

Mustafa Khokar is on bail in the case while other workers have been identified by the police, said the sources, adding that police identified the suspects with the help of CCTV footage.

The police have formed special teams who have been tasked to arrest the wanted suspects as soon as they reach outside the accountability court.

Over 1,600 security personnel, including those from Rangers, special branch and traffic police, are scheduled to be deployed around the NAB court today.



According to the security plan, policewomen and Anti-Terrorism Squad officials will also be stationed within the premises of the court.

No unauthorised person would be allowed to enter the court during the hearing.

Police officers would also be stationed along the routes leading to the NAB court while police high-ups and district administration officials would be monitoring security arrangements during the course of hearing.

Meanwhile, the corruption reference against Zardari, Talpur and others has been formally shifted to Islamabad from Accountability Court Number 2 for further hearing.

A courtroom has been reserved in the special courts at the Judicial Complex Islamabad upon the instructions of the Ministry of Law.

The Accountability Court Number 2 of Rawalpindi will now be referred to as Accountability Court Number 3 in Islamabad.

The appointment of judges for the new court would be made in the current week for which names have been sent to the federal cabinet secretariat.



The change will increase the number of accountability courts in Islamabad to three, equalling the number of accountability courts in Rawalpindi.

The court that is shifted was deprived of judges for the past one year.

The three accountability courts of Rawalpindi only have six pending references while the number of cases in Islamabad accountability courts has reached 120.

No case has been filed in Rawalpindi courts since the past three years.

The courts, set up in an old complex of Rawalpindi, have been declared a security risk due to heavy rush occasioned by the arrival of VVIP suspects because of which another court has been shifted to Islamabad.

As per reports, Rawalpindi’s Accountability Court No 1 is headed by judge Pervez Ismail and has only two pending cases while court no 2 is headed by judge Mehmood Zargham with only two pending cases, while court no 3 is headed by judge Chaudhry Anwar Ahmed Khan, who is also hearing two references. All three courts have been deserted due to lack of cases.