LHC grants interim pre-arrest bail to Safdar

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday granted interim pre-arrest bail to Capt (retd) Safdar, son-in-law of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in an inquiry of assets beyond means initiated against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Headed by Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, a division bench also restrained the NAB from arresting Safdar and sought its reply to the bail petition. Earlier, Safdar’s counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq argued before the bench that an inquiry into the assets of the petitioner is already pending with the Peshawar office of the NAB when the Lahore office of the anti-corruption watchdog initiated another inquiry on similar charges. He said the act of the NAB of holding two inquiries on similar charges against the petitioner is illegal and based on mala fide intention. He alleged that the petitioner had been subjected to political victimization at the behest of the government. He asked the bench to allow the petition of the petitioner and restrain the NAB from arresting him. The bench granted pre-arrest bail to Safdar till March 29 and directed the NAB prosecutor to submit para-wise comments to the petition.