Sindh PA speaker shifted to his house

KARACHI: The incarcerated Speaker of Sindh Assembly, Agha Siraj Khan Durrani, has been shifted to his personal residence in Defence Housing Authority area of Karachi after declaring it a sub-jail.

The Sindh government’s Home Department has declared the house of the Speaker Sindh Assembly a sub-jail, it is learnt on Thursday. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah approved the proposal to declare the residence of Sindh Assembly Speaker a sub-jail to imprison him.

It is learnt that the decision was taken in view of the security risks related to movement of the Speaker to and from the Sindh Assembly building. The Speaker is imprisoned for his involvement in a reference filed against him by National Accountability Bureau in the case related to assets beyond means. The session of Sindh Assembly will be held on Saturday.

Our correspondent adds from Islamabad: The Supreme Court of Pakistan, earlier in the day, extended until January the interim bail of the co-accused in the assets beyond means reference filed against Agha Siraj Durrani.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Umer Ata Bandial heard the bail application of Durrani in a reference filed by the NAB for accumulating assets through illegal means.

Durrani’s counsel informed the court that in pursuance of the court’s last order, Durrani had surrendered himself to NAB authorities while an accountability court had sent him on judicial remand.

The counsel while arguing on the merits of the case contended that the NAB has not rightly calculated the hereditary properties of Durrani. “Then we may issue a notice to the NAB and ask for a reply,” Justice Umer Ata Bandial remarked. The NAB special prosecutor informed the court that they have already submitted the reply. Meanwhile, the court adjourned the hearing until January, directing the NAB to share with the appellant’s counsel its reply.