Ishaq Dar moves IHC against non-bailable warrants

ISLAMABAD - Former finance minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday filed a plea with Islamabad High Court through his lawyers, challenging the non-bailable arrest warrants issued by the accountability court against him.

Advocate Qausain Faisal Mufti, counsel for Dar, also moved the high court against a ruling of the accountability court to declare him absconder.

The lawyer has stated in the petition that his client attended hearings when his health condition was good. He added that Dar should be given exemption as now he was in London for treatment.

He further asked the high court to allow someone to represent Dar at the accountability court so the trial proceeding could be continued.

It is important to mention that the trial court had issued the warrants against Dar on Nov 14 by rejecting all pleas seeking exemption from appearance in a case regarding assets beyond means.

On Nov 21, the court announced him an absconder and ordered to start proceedings to declared him proclaimed offender.

Indictment

On September 27, the finance minister had been indicted for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income.

Dar had rejected the allegations levelled by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in its reference prepared following the orders of the Supreme Court in its July 28 verdict in Panamagate case.

NAB Reference

According to the NAB reference, the accused had acquired assets and pecuniary interests/resources in his name or in the name of his dependents of an approximate amount of Rs831.678 million as per the investigation conducted so far.

The assets are disproportionate to his known sources of income for which he could not reasonably account for, the reference said.