LAHORE  -   The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday issued notices to former federal minister Barjees Tahir on a petition filed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) challenging an order of the accountability court. The division bench comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Anwaarul Haq Pannun heard the petition filed by the bureau. A prosecutor on behalf of the NAB argued before the bench that the former federal minister had approached the accountability court for pre-arrest bail in an assets beyond inquiry initiated by the bureau against him. The court ordered the bureau to inform in advance if it wanted to issue arrest warrants of Barjees Tahir in assets beyond means case while disposing of the bail matter, he added. He argued that the orders passed by the accountability court were illegal and could not sustain in the eyes of the law. The prosecutor pleaded with the court to set aside the orders for being illegal. The bench, after hearing initial arguments, issued notices to Barjees Tahir and sought reply by April 18. The bureau had launched an inquiry against Barjees Tahir for amassing assets beyond means and it issued call-up notices to him in 2019. Barjees Tahir first approached the Lahore High Court for pre-arrest bail but the matter was sent to accountability court after an amendment in the National Accountability Ordinance wherein accountability courts were empowered to hear bail petitions.

Meanwhile, Lahore Development Authority (LDA) on Wednesday auctioned its 19 residential and commercial plots in different LDA housing schemes in the city for Rs 719.324 million. According to LDA spokesperson here, the Authority auctioned a plot number 288-31/A Khaiber block for rupees 7.515 million at Allama Iqbal Town. The Authority auctioned plot number 806/5, block B for rupees 3.882 million, auctioned plot number 806/6, block B for rupees 3.882 million, auctioned plot number 762/2, block C for rupees 4.492 million, auctioned plot number 762/3, block C for rupees 4.492 million, auctioned plot number 59 civic center for rupees 59.5 million, auctioned plot number 63 corner civic center for rupees 62.5 million, auctioned plot number 55, block C for rupees 4.620 million, auctioned plot number 695 block C for rupees 4.470 million, auctioned plot number 724 block C for rupees 4.680 million, auctioned plot number 70 block D for rupees 15.1 million, auctioned plot number 91, block D for rupees 9.867 million, auctioned plot number 404, block F for rupees 6.8 million at Jubilee town. The LDA auctioned plot number 63-B for rupees 45 million at Johar town. The Authority auctioned plot number 96 corner civic center for rupees 43.328 million, auctioned plot number 98 civic center for rupees 15.2 million at Sabzazar.

The authority auctioned plot number 1 corner sector C-II for rupees 7.425 million, auctioned plot number 2, sector D-II for rupees 7.132 million, auctioned plot number 7, sector D-II for rupees 9.024 at Quad-e-Azam town. During the auction process, the auction committee members including Additional Director General Housing, Director Finance, Director estate management, director land development and other concerned officer were present.