Daily Times

The Sindh High Court Friday granted seven-day protective bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Miftah Ismail and former managing director of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Sheikh Imran-ul-Haq. The high court approved the bail of former finance minister and former PSO MD against bonds worth Rs 500,000. The duo had submitted a plea for pre-arrest bail earlier in the day.

Advocate Haider Waheed, who appeared as Ismail’s counsel, said the case was based in Islamabad and requested protective bail so that the PML-N leader could contact the relevant court. The court accepted the application for bail.

Later, in an informal conversation with media, the PML-N leader said there is no need for NAB to conduct raids, adding that he received the court summons after 3pm on Thursday. He said whenever the accountability bureau summoned him, he did appear before it.

A NAB team was present at the SHC premises on Friday, where Ismail and Sheikh Imran-ul-Haq appeared.

The NAB chairman had signed the arrest warrants of both Ismail and Sheikh Imran-ul-Haq a day earlier. The NAB teams in Karachi and Islamabad were dispatched to take Miftah into custody. A team raided his Karachi residence but had to return empty-handed as he was not there. The NAB team had to face-off with PML-N supporters after they cordoned off Ismail’s residence and tried to enter the premises. According to the domestic help, Ismail left the house earlier in the day and his mobile phone was switched off. Another team, accompanied by female officials, then entered the residence and questioned those at home, including family members. Reports said that NAB also raided two other locations owned by the Ismail family.

Though there was no word from NAB officials about the motive behind the raid, PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair said that personnel of the anti-graft watchdog had searched Miftah’s residence. “I went to his [Miftah’s] house when I came to know that there were NAB officials outside the residence,” Zubair had said on Thursday. “At around 6:30pm NAB officials with women personnel went inside his house and carried out a detailed search. He was not there. He has not been in contact with his family or any PML-N member as his phone has remained switched off since afternoon. We and his family are concerned about him and no one yet knows his whereabouts,” he had added.