ISLAMABAD: A local court in Islamabad, that granted a post-arrest bail on August 8 to Zafar Hijazi, former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), has observed in its ruling that evidence shows that the closure note was made by SECP’s senior officials including Commissioner Tahir Mahmood and Executive Directors Ms Maheen Fatima, Abid Hussain and Ali Azeem Ikram. Judge Irum Niazi has noted in her ruling that these officers have stated that the closure note was backdated under Hijazi’s influence. Regardless, the judge observed that all these officials were responsible for their actions. The court has also referred to various emails exchanged between Tariq Ahmed and Maheen Fatima on this issue and observed that none of those emails mentioned anything regarding Hijazi. The court has concluded that other than the statements of officers who signed the alleged closure note on a back date, independent corroborative evidence was needed in the case against Hijazi. While granting bail to Hijazi, the court referred to the JIT’s analysis of Maheen’s ‘character’ as dicey. It also referred to Abid Hussain’s statement before the JIT in which he had disclosed that the case against Chaudhry Sugar Mills Limited was made on political grounds by the PPP government. The court has noted that at the time of opening and closing of the case Tahir Mahmood was the commissioner in-charge of the department handling this case, adding that while the concerned officers have confirmed Tahir’s involvement he has shied away from associating himself with the case. The court has also emphasised on the JIT’s report that Abid Hussain knew about the irregularity related to the back date note but did not take any steps to address this criminal act. “As a matter of fact, back dating was not possible without the consent of Abid Hussain as he was the custodian of record when this incident took place”, the court has maintained. It also expressed displeasure on FIA for not providing Hijazi an opportunity to put his defense, while recording statements of the witnesses under section 164 CrPC. Zafar Hijazi has been granted a post-arrest bail in Chaudhry Sugar Mills record tampering case against two surety bonds worth Rs1 million. Published in Daily Times, August 17th 2017.