ISLAMABAD: A brother of former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday filed pre-arrest bail application as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) included him in an inquiry related to the beautification of Rawalpindi/Islamabad metro bus route.

NAB on Jan 21 had issued Mustafa Kamal, the ex-minister’s brother, a call-up notice and asked him to appear in the “inquiry against officials/officers of Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), Mustafa Kamal of M/s Horti Group and others on the allegations of misappropriation, obtaining of pecuniary advantage through dishonest means and causing loss to exchequer by carrying out substandard horticulture work in Rawalpindi/Islamabad Metro Bus Project.”

NAB had summoned Mr Kamal on Jan 28 (Tuesday) but he filed a petition in the IHC seeking pre-arrest bail the same day.

The petitioner adopted before the court that he had been victimised for being brother of Mr Iqbal who is already behind bars in connection with an investigation in the Narowal Sports City project.

In the petition, Mr Kamal expressed “apprehension that he will also be arrested by NAB in the same manner like his brother was arrested.”

According to the petition, Mr Kamal, who is in the business of horticulture and landscaping since 40 years, was assigned the beautification of metro bus route as a sub-consultant in 2014 for designing and supervision of landscaping.

“The total cost of designing which was liable to be paid to the petitioner was 12 per cent which was Rs3.5 million and two per cent of resident supervision which was approximately Rs5.8 million,” the petition said, adding the job of the petitioner was only to design and supervise the landscaping process which was liable to be executed by the main contractor.

Mr Kamal added that he “completed his job according to the requirements and skills and handed over the project to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Pakistan Horticulture Authority (PHA).”

He expressed willingness to cooperate with the investigation team and gave an undertaking that “the petitioner is ready to join the inquiry proceedings as well as produce all the relevant documents and record before the NAB authorities.”

He requested the court to accept his bail petition and restrain NAB from arresting him.

Suspected terrorism financer escapes

A suspect of terrorism financing escaped from the Anti-Terrorism Court of Islamabad on Tuesday.

Khairullah is among suspects included in a list of the United Nations (UN) for allegedly financing terrorism. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Khairullah as well as some other suspects.

His counsel Munir Bhatti adopted before the court that since the other suspects had been granted bail, under the law of consistency Khairullah may also be given pre-arrest bail.

However, public prosecutor Advocate Shafqaat Chaudhry argued that the other suspects were accomplices of Khairullah and were booked on the charge of abetting him.He claimed that Khairullah was the main suspect nominated in the FIR.

As hearing of arguments on the bail plea concluded and the court was about to announce the decision, the suspect quietly left the courtroom. Subsequently, the court dismissed the bail petition.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2020