ISLAMABAD  - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Wednesday granted pre-arrest bail to PPP Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari in a case pertaining to awarding illegal contract to a private company.

A division bench of IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani conducted hearing of the petition moved by the former president and issued notices to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) directing it to submit its reply in this matter.

Zardari was summoned by the NAB on May 9 after filing a reference against the holders of public office, legal persons and others regarding the illegal award of a contract by Government of Sindh special initiative department to M/S Harish & Company.

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

PPP lawmaker Faryal 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.

Earlier, Zardari has received at least four call-up notices and he obtained pre-arrest bail in all of them.

In the fresh pre-arrest bail plea moved to preempt any attempt by the NAB to arrest the former president, the petitioner accused NAB of “mala fide intentions and ulterior motives beyond the scope of Section 19 of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999.”

The petition said that the said call-up notice violated Article 13 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It added, “Article 13 – Protection against double punishment and self-incrimination: No person (a) shall be prosecuted or punished for the same offense more than once or (b) shall, when accused of an offense, be compelled to be a witness against himself.”

The plea further added, “Throughout the course of history the petitioner [Zardari] has been made to suffer on account of political victimization and mudslinging by involving him in false and fabricated cases”. It stated that the PPP leader has served an accumulated 11 years jail term “in false and politically motivated cases”.

In the bail petition, Zardari also prayed to the high court to direct the anti-corruption unit to furnish details of the number of cases it has or plans to file against him.

The PPP co-chairman was of the view that there was no likelihood that the “so-called trial may culminate in the conviction of the petitioner”.