SC grants interim pre-arrest bail to Aijaz Jakhrani

KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim pre-arrest bail to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, who is currently serving as an adviser to the Sindh chief minister on prisons and inter-provincial coordination, in the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) investigation against officials of the Jacobabad Education Department.

The PPP leader, who is also a former MNA from Jacobabad, submitted that he had been earlier granted interim pre-arrest bail in NAB inquiries by the high court, but the court later dismissed the petition.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted that he was being constantly victimised and harassed by the anti-graft watchdog as it was determined to arrest him in one case or another. He submitted that the NAB intended to arrest the petitioner in respect of an investigation being conducted against officials of the Education Department in Jacobabad, contractors and others without serving him a call-up notice. He said the NAB officials were conducting raids at his house and searching for him, and sought protection against his possible arrest.

SC’s two-member bench headed by Justice Maqbool Baqar after preliminary hearing of the petition issued notices to federal law officer, special prosecutor NAB and others and called their comments on July 19. The court in meantime granted interim pre-arrest bail to the Jakhrani in the investigation pertaining to education department till next date of hearing.