SHC directs police against arrest of Zardari's brother-in-law

KARACHI - The Sindh High Court barred the police from arresting brother-in-law of PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zaradari, Fazalullah Pechuho, in a case related to demanding a bribe from a school principal and implicating him in a false case.

A division bench of the SHC on Wednesday heard a criminal application filed by former education secretary Mr Pechuho, who is currently being tried in the provincial anti-corruption court on a complaint filed by suspended high school principal Muhammad Mithal, who pleaded that Pechuho had demanded a bribe for reinstating him.

Mr Pechuho approached the provincial high court after an anti-corruption court issued a non-bailable warrant for his arrest.

Subsequently, the bench suspended the operation of the arrest warrant and directed Pechuho to appear before the trial court and cooperate with the investigators, Dawn News reported.

The complainant, Mithal alleged that he was suspended twice illegally and the education department’s employees — section officer Abdul Jabbar and junior clerk Iftikhar Hussain — backed by the then secretary had refused to reappoint him after he declined to pay them Rs200,000 as a bribe.

On the other hand, Mr Pechuho denied the allegation, terming it baseless and meant for tarnishing his image.