RAWALPINDI, July 17: An anti-corruption court has ordered the arrest of property magnate Malik Riaz, his son Ali Riaz and five other accused in a land fraud case and sought their production before it on July 23.

The court issued the directives to the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) on Tuesday after examining the Lahore High Court’s order regarding its proceedings in the case and restoring its arrest warrants issued on June 21.

The warrants had been suspended after Qaiser Qadeer Qureshi, the legal adviser to Bahria Town, informed Judge Chaudhry Ameer Mohammad Khan that the LHC had restrained the court from proceeding against the accused.

The court issued a show-cause notice to SSP Malik Mohammad Yousaf for obstructing the execution of the arrest warrants.

ACE Circle Officer Tanvir Amjad submitted a report saying the SSP had not only barred officials from arresting the accused but also harassed them by threatening to register an FIR against them if they touched Malik Riaz.

Bahria Town’s counsel Dr Abdul Basit said the court could not issue the warrants because the LHC had asked the investigation agencies to maintain status quo.

He said an application for the transfer of the case to any other anti-corruption court had been filed at the principal seat of the LHC and the hearing should be deferred till a decision on the matter. Deputy Public Prosecutor Khwaja Sohail said the LHC had clarified the order and there was no embargo on proceedings against the accused. He submitted certified copies of the LHC orders.

The ACE booked Malik Riaz, Ali Riaz and their accomplices on the basis of two FIRs registered against them for acquiring 1,401 kanals of land near Rawat on fake and forged documents in 2009.