Daily Times

The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday approved the bail of Abdul Ghani Majeed on medical grounds in five corruption cases filed against him. The court approved the bail and asked Ghani to submit surety bonds worth Rs 100 million in the five references he is facing and disposed of National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) plea challenging the bail. In its order, the court said that Ghani was being granted bail solely on medical grounds. “If the accused goes anywhere else apart from medical treatment then NAB can submit an application seeking the ending of the bail,” it added. In its report, the jail authorities told the court that the accused was being given every possible treatment while he was in custody. They added that Ghani’s tests were also sent to Shaukat Khanum Hospital. However, his lawyer said that his client would like his treatment to be done at Aga Khan Hospital. The five cases for which Ghani was granted bail are the Roshan Sindh Programme, Park Lane, Thatta Water Supply, Sugarcane Subsidy and Amenity Plots Illegal Allotment cases. The court ruled that Majeed will undergo treatment at an Islamabad hospital and will appear before the IHC whenever he is summoned. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal were released from Adiala Jail on Wednesday evening after the Islamabad High Court issued their release orders. A large number of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers r received party leaders, Ahsan Iqbal and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi when they came out from the jail, causing a traffic jam in the area. Over in Sindh, a bench of Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday extended bail of former minister of Sindh Jam Khan Shoro and other accused, till April 2, in illegal land allotment and assets beyond means references. The former minister along with other 18 accused named in the references appeared before the SHC bench. As soon the hearing underwent, the bench asked the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) counsel to present evidence against the accused, if they have any. To this, the NAB’s lawyer sought more time to present evidence before the court. The court after granting a month to NAB to present evidence against Jam Khan Shoro and other accused extended bail of the accused till April 2. Former provincial minister Jam Khan Shoro is facing charges of accumulating assets beyond known sources of his income and also accused of illegal allotment of land for a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station in Hyderabad’s area of Qasimabad. NAB said illegal allotment of land cost the national exchequer Rs180 million. The anti-graft watchdog body was allowed to investigate against Pakistan People’s Party leader Jam Khan on July 1st, last year. The Sindh High Court (SHC) also rejected a pre-arrest bail plea from the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) Director Masood Alam as National Accountability Bureau (NAB) submitted in the court that an inquiry against him was sent to their headquarters for approval.