Daily Times

The Supreme Court of Pakistan Thursday accepted PPP leader Khursheed Shah’s bail plea in the assets beyond known sources of income case, a private TV channel reported.

The apex court directed Shah to submit bail bonds worth Rs10mn as the surety against his bail.

Justice Umar Atta Bandial directed NAB to continue its investigations but not keep the PPP leader permanently in jail.

Shah was arrested by the anti-corruption watchdog’s Sukkur chapter on September 18, 2019, in the assets beyond known sources of income case. The top anti-corruption watchdog had arrested Shah, who according to them, acquired assets worth some Rs700 million on names of his frontmen through ill-gotten money.

NAB’s top officials probing the matter claimed to acquire several important records/files from Sukkur district administration, where revenue officers shared important details, which led ultimately to Shah’s arrest from Islamabad.

“We have acquired details of all assets and property on Mr Shah, his family’s names and his front-men,” a senior NAB official had said. The NAB official had claimed that Sukkur NAB team got access to documents, which revealed that Shah through his friend acquired New Taj Hotel, Shikarpur road Sukkur, worth Rs250 million.

A petrol pump worth some Rs90 million at Rohri Road in the name of Qasim Shah (benamidar/frontman), another NAB official claimed. A bungalow in the name of Pappu Mahar (benamidar/frontman) on government land was also allegedly built by Syed Khursheed through kickbacks, revealed a senior NAB official. A hotel named Gulf Hotel was also constructed by the PPP stalwart in Rohri in the name of (benamidar/frontman) where money was arranged through kickbacks by the local contractors, the official added on condition of anonymity.