Possibility of Zardari arrest looms as IHC hears bail plea tomorrow

PPP plans protest outside court if PPP co-chairperson is arrested

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE:  

The Islamabad High Court will hear Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur’s plea seeking an extension in their interim bail in the money laundering case on Monday (June 10).

The National Accountability Bureau has already issued arrest warrants for the former president and will seek the court’s permission to arrest him.

A divisional bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhter Kiyani will hear the applications.

During the last hearing, the court had extended Zardari and his sister’s pre-arrest bail till June 10.

NAB submitted the record of alleged fake accounts transactions to the court. The NAB additional prosecutor presented three reports to the court as evidence of Zardari and his sister’s involvement in the transactions. Zardari’s counsel Farooq H Naek sought time to respond to the reports submitted to the court.

Zardari summoned by NAB on May 9

The court will also hear the matter of Harish and Company, another case in which Zardari has been granted interim bail.

The case involves the illegal award of a water supply contract by the Sindh government’s special initiative department to a private firm, Harish and Company.

The case is part of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the anti-graft watchdog after the Supreme Court forwarded the joint investigation team report in the fake accounts scandal and directed it to probe money laundering of billions of rupees through fictitious bank accounts and file references.

Talpur, Omni Group’s Anwar Majeed and his sons, and former Pakistan Stock Exchange chairperson Hussain Lawai are among others being investigated in the case.

The PPP has announced that it would stage a protest outside the court f the party co-chairperson was arrested.

During a meeting, the PPP Lahore leadership formed a five-member committee comprising Faisal Mir, Shahbaz Bhatti, Ashraf Bhatti, Israr Butt and Zahir Zulfiqar to organise the protest. Sources said the party also planned to stage protests at 10 locations in Lahore.