SUKKUR: The Sindh High Court, Sukkur bench on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah’s application for bail on medical grounds to Jan 29.

According to Mr Shah’s counsel Advocate Mukesh Kumar Karira, Justice Abdul Rasheed Soomro put off the hearing after finding that the documents relating to the case could not reach the Sukkur bench from its principal seat at Karachi.

Khursheed Shah is facing two references submitted against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). One reference, filed by the Sukkur NAB pertains to alleged accumulation of assets beyond his known sources of income and the other, filed by the Rawalpindi NAB accuses him of having misused his authority and influence to get five housing schemes of Islamabad rejected while he had been holding the ministry of labour and manpower.

The counsel told the media that Justice Soomro also noted that the other bench at Sukkur comprising Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto and Justice Zulfiqar Sangi were also not ready to hear the bail application. Therefore, Justice Soomro recommended constitution of a special bench, comprising Justice Azizur Rehman and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito, to take up the matter on Jan 29.

Mr Shah had filed his bail application in SHC’s principal seat at Karachi which has since been transferred to the Sukkur bench. He, his son MPA Syed Farrukh Shah and son-in-law Syed Awais Shah, who is a provincial minister, were present in the court when the bail application came up for hearing.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2020