PTI founder’s bail plea hearing in NCA scandal adjourned to May 6

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday adjourned the hearing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s bail application in the 190-million-pound National Crime Agency (NCA) scandal to May 6 without proceeding due to the absence of the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) prosecutor.

Chief Justice Aamer Farooq remarked that the prosecutor’s request to adjourn the case would not be accepted on the next date of the hearing. The IHC directed the investigating officer to appear before the court on the next date of the hearing, saying that if NAB’s prosecutor did not appear before the court on the next date of the hearing, the court would examine the case record and pass the order on the bail application. Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri of the IHC heard the applications seeking the release of the PTI founder on bail in the 190-million-pound NAB case.Barrister Salman Safdar and Shehbaz Khosa Advocate appeared in court on behalf of the applicant, while NAB Special Prosecutor Amjad Pervez Advocate did not come to the court, and sent an adjournment request. Barrister Salman Safdar said he had come from Lahore to represent his client in the case. He said that on the one hand 12 hearings of the case had been held in the bail case, while on the other, the prosecution had proceeded the case expeditiously in the trial court. Chief Justice Aamer Farooq observed that the court was hearing the case despite the fact that he himself was not feeling well. The IHC gave last chance to the prosecution, observing that if the prosecutor did not appear before the court, an order would be passed on the bail application.