ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed an appeal of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the decision of an accountability court.

The NAB court had in its decision refused to allow withdrawal of Rs10 million corruption reference filed against Deputy Secretary Tariq Ayub Khakwani working in Prime Minister Secretariat.

A division bench of the IHC comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Aslam and Justice Raja Saeed Akram Khan while dismissing the appeal of the NAB Chairman said the case was in the trail court and let it be decided on merit.

The NAB had moved the IHC saying the chairman had the power to withdraw any case at any time but when the bureau moved withdrawal application about the case against Khakwani, the accountability court turned down the application saying there were sufficient evidence in the case to proceed against the deputy secretary.

NAB filed the case last year against the secretary as his assets were more than his declared source of income and produced the evidence against him in the court.

Another division bench of the IHC comprising Justice Mohammad Munir Paracha and Justice Syed Qalb-i-Hassan issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seeking its response in the election petition of Sardar Tanvir Ilyas Khan against rejection of his nomination papers to contest the senate election on general seats from NWFP.

ECP on February 21, 2009 through an order dropped the name of Tanvir Ilyas Khan from the list of contesting candidates mainly due to the reason that his enlistment on the voter list is bogus. Lawyer to the petitioner contended before the court to suspend the order of the ECP against his client and ask the secretary Election Commission to appear before the court.

The bench instead of suspending the order issued notices to the respondents through special messengers and media. The court would resume hearing of the case on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a division bench of the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench granted bail to a man in 52 kilogram heroin smuggling case.

Jusitce Abdul Shakoor Paracha and Justice Syed Sajjad Hussain Shah granted bail to Raja Nadeem Kiani against two surety bonds each worth Rs 500,000 and two separate local sureties.

Anti Narcotics Force Rawalpindi arrested Raja last year from Islamabad air port.

He had booked heroin-filled mango crates for Qatar. The crates were packed in the house of the accused in Lala Zar colony.