SC to hear Ishaq Dar’s appeal today

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will take up today (Wednesday) important cases, including the appeal filed by former finance minister and PMLN leader Ishaq Dar against the decision of the Accountability Court declaring him proclaimed offender.

A two-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Ijazul Ahsen, will resume hearing in Dar’s appeal. On the last hearing, the matter was adjourned after AOR told the court Salman Butt had been hired as additional counsel for Ishaq Dar. As the counsel had returned from abroad but was unwell, an adjournment in the matter was sought.

In 217, the Accountability Court, while hearing a corruption reference against Senator Ishaq Dar, had declared him a proclaimed offender due to his continued absence from the proceedings.

Ishaq Dar was elected as PMLN Senator on a technocrat seat in the election held in 2018. However, he has not taken oath yet as Senator, and is in London since 2017. In 2018, a three-member bench of the apex court, headed by former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, had suspended his Senate membership for not appearing before the court despite being summoned repeatedly by the court.

The former finance minister filed an application in the Supreme Court for early hearing of his appeal. The appeal is pending before the court since 2018. He had filed the appeal against the Accountability Court’s decision declaring him a proclaimed offender. In the latest application in the Supreme Court, he requested the court to consider his case on merit.