LAHORE  -  An accountability court on Tuesday postponed the indictment of former chief minister Punjab Pervaiz Elahi in a corruption reference related to development projects in Gujrat, as he failed to appear before the court.

The court has rescheduled the hearing for December 18 and summoned all accused, including Parvez Elahi, for indictment on the next hearing..

Accountability Court Judge Zubair Shehzad Kayani deferred the indictment process after Elahi’s counsel, Amjad Pervez, informed the court about his client’s health condition. He stated that Elahi had recently been discharged from the hospital and was advised complete rest by doctors. A medical certificate was also presented along with a formal request for exemption from appearance. However, the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) prosecutor, Waris Janjua, urged the court to proceed with the indictment, emphasizing its importance.

At this, the court , while granting Elahi temporary exemption for one hearing, remarked that the accused should attend court proceedings in the same manner he travels to the hospital.

In response, Elahi’s lawyer assured the court that the former chief minister would appear at the next hearing for the indictment.

Subsequently, the court adjourned further hearing and summoned all accused for indictment on December 18. The NAB has accused Parvez Elahi and Moonis Elahi of receiving over Rs. 1 billion as kickbacks through intermediaries in more than 200 development projects in the Gujrat district during Parvez Elahi’s second term as Chief Minister of Punjab.