Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) supremo Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday vowed to resist any attempts to introduce presidential form of government in the country.

Speaking to media after appearing before an accountability court in Islamabad in a reference pertaining to fake bank accounts and alleged money laundering, the former president said, “New experiments are being conducted in Pakistan on a daily basis. See what happens in this business. Let them try, we will oppose them,” he said. “The situation is getting worse day by day,” he lamented.

Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur on Tuesday appeared before the accountability court for the second time, while the court issued a notice to the Sindh chief secretary over absence of other accused persons in the same case.

During the hearing, four suspects were presented before the court. Judge Arshad Malik inquired about the others who failed to appear. “The suspects jailed in Karachi are not present in the court,” said NAB Prosecutor Sardar Manzoor Abbasi. “We have sent a letter of reminder to the Sindh government over the issue,” he added.

Zardari moves SHC in Park Lane Estate Company case

He also appraised the bench on the matter of two approvers. “NAB Rawalpindi has received applications from Noreen Sultan and Kiran Aftab seeking to become approvers in the fake accounts case. The request is under process,” he said.

The court issued bailable arrest warrants for Iqbal Arain, Azam Wazir, Nisar and Adnan Javed. The court was informed that Iqbal Arain has died whereas Adnan Javed has been absconding. The court ordered the prosecutor to submit Arain’s death certificate.

Moreover, two accused namely Shehzad Ali and Zain Malik were granted interim bail against surety bond of Rs 2 million each.

The hearing was adjourned till April 29.

Meanwhile, the anti-graft watchdog has summoned Talpur in joint ventures case on Wednesday. Fearing arrest, the PPP lawmaker has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking pre-arrest bail.

The petition says that Talpur is a seasoned politician of the largest political party in Pakistan and has served as mayor of Nawabshah and is also a serving MPA in Sindh Assembly. It added that the call-up notice under section 19 of the NAO has been issued ‘with sole malafide intention and ulterior motives to detain and arrest the petitioner’.

“The petitioner is innocent and the call-up notice has been issued to her by the respondent no 2 [Director NAB] under instructions from higher authorities with malafide intentions and ulterior motives to politically victimise her due to political rivalry and in order to humiliate, harass and dishonour the petitioner and cause irreparable damage to her name and reputation in particular before her family members, party workers, colleagues, voters and public at large,” the application claimed.

Separately, former president Asif Zardari on Tuesday moved the Sindh High Court (SHC) over the Park Lane Estate Company case.

In a petition in the high court, the PPP co-chairman has denied his association with the company. “I owned just 25 percent shares of the Park Lane Estate Company, and in 2008, had resigned from its directorship before taking oath as president of Pakistan. The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) was also informed about the decision,” the petition stated. The former president pleaded the court to declare that he has no association with the company.