ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednes­day extended interim bail of former president Asif Ali Zardari till October 15, in an inquiry pertaining to suspected transactions of eight billion rupees. The court also sought current status of the case from Na­tional Accountability Bu­reau (NAB) and accepted exemption request from hearing of the accused on this day. A division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhter Kiyani conducted hearing on bail petition of Asif Ali Zardari. At the outset of hearing, Jutice Aamer Farooq said that the accused had been given post arrest bail in several cases. Whether it was a separate mat­ter, he asked. Zardari’s lawyer Farouk H. Naek adopted the stance that it was a separate case related to a NAB inquiry. He stated that his client was 65-year-old and had been suffering from mul­tiple diseases. He prayed the court to grant exemp­tion from hearing to Asif Zardari and accept his pre-arrest bail on medi­cal ground.