ISLAMABAD - Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday summoned former president and Co-Chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party Asif Ali Zardari in a petition seeking pre-arrest bail regarding a call-up notice issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) asking details of his alleged ownership of an apartment in New York.
A division bench of the IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aamer Farooq conducted hearing of the pre-arrest bail plea filed by Asif Zardari and directed him to appear before the court in person on next hearing to be held on Wednesday (today).
The IHC bench asked if Zardari was seeking a pre-arrest bail plea then he should appear before the court. Zardari’s counsel Farooq H Naek said that Zardari was currently getting treatment in the hospital.
The counsel requested that he should be exempted from court proceedings. However, the IHC bench rejected his request to grant pre-arrest and directed the PPP Co-Chairperson to appear before the court on Wednesday (today) because if he was given exemption then it could become an example for others.
After issuing the aforementioned directions, the IHC deferred the proceedings till Wednesday.
NAB notice asks for details of apartment in New York allegedly owned by PPP Co-Chairperson
The former president moved the court through his counsel Farooq H Naek and cited Chairman NAB, DG Rawalpindi and the investigation officer as respondents in this matter. His medical report from the Ziauddin Hospital had also been attached with the plea.
The anti-corruption watchdog had issued a notice, along with a questionnaire, to the PPP Co-Chairperson on June 15 seeking details of the apartment he allegedly owns in Belaire, 524 East 72nd Street, 37F, Manhattan, New York.
In the petition, Zardari’s counsel adopted that the notice was baseless and the allegations made therein were based on malafide intentions so as to malign him. He submitted that the petitioner was not in ownership of any property in New York including (the) apartment as of date mentioned in the notice.
He contended that to cause harassment to the petitioner and to politically damage his reputation, respondent NAB had issued several call-up notices to Zardari in different matters and all those notices were assailed at different forums including at the IHC.