Daily Times

KARACHI: Former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur challenged the  banking court’s decision in Sindh High Court on Saturday.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur on Saturday challenged in the Sindh High Court (SHC) the decision of a banking court in Karachi to transfer the fake bank accounts case to Rawalpindi.

The petition filed by Zardari and Talpur sought the high court to declare the verdict of the banking court illegal and null and void, maintaining that the banking court had no authority to transfer the cases as no such order was given by the Supreme Court.

In two separate pleas, Zardari and Talpur also requested for grant of protective bails. Hearing on the petitions will be held on Monday (tomorrow).

Strict security arrangements were made as the PPP leaders arrived at the court along with their lawyers.

A banking court on Friday had ordered to transfer the mega money laundering case against the brother-sister duo to a court in Rawalpindi.

Reacting to the transfer of case from Karachi to Rawalpindi, PPP senior leader Khursheed Shah termed it a negative tactics, adding that such steps can’t stop them from waging their constitutional struggle. He said the politics of Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi is the same as Imran has no other agenda except targeting the opposition. “InshaAllah, both Imran and Modi will fail in fulfilling their malicious agendas,” he added.

Meanwhile, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned former president Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to appear before the bureau in Rawalpindi in connection with the Park Lane Estate case, a spokesperson for the watchdog told a private TV channel.

NAB had initiated an inquiry against the father-son duo in pursuance of allegations that Park Lane Estate Company (Pvt) Ltd – a Karachi-based real estate firm co-owned by Zardari and Bilawal – along with government officials were behind the illegal transfer of forest land to the firm. According to the spokesperson, Zardari had acquired the company illegally through a front man, Iqbal Memon, in 1989. In 2009, Zardari and Bilawal became shareholders of the company. “Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto have a stake of 25 per cent each in the company,” he said, adding that Zardari has the authority to use the company accounts at his discretion as the director of the firm.

To lend credence to his claims, the spokesperson said that company documents dating back to year 2008 show Zardari’s signatures on them as director. He said Faryal Talpur has not been summoned to the NAB office as yet.

PPP spokesperson Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, however, in a statement denied that Bilawal or Zardari have received any notices from NAB.

Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Information Murtaza Wahab also said that neither Bilawal nor Zardari have received any notices from NAB. “NAB seems to be attempting to harass the two by issuing statements contrary to the facts,” he said. “Has NAB been reduced to character assassination only?” he asked.

Wahab also held NAB responsible for the suicide of Brig (r) Asad Munir, adding that the anti-graft watchdog was solely responsible for the death of honourable people like Brig(r) Munir.