A two-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain heard a review petition filed by counsel for Dr Arsalan Iftikhar against the court’s June 14 order in a case related to an alleged business deal between Malik Riaz Hussain and Dr Arsalan in an attempt to influence judicial process.

On last hearing, the court had sought written reply from the secretary interior over the issue of protocol given to Malik Riaz by Faisal Memon, a police official. The secretary interior, however, neither appeared before the court nor did submit his written reply to the court on Thursday.

In compliance with the court order, Faisal Memon, SSP Islamabad Rural, and DSP Tahir Malik submitted their replies, stating that they had no personal relations with Malik Riaz and did not extend any favour to Malik Riaz as part of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).

On court’s query, Joint Secretary Interior Khushdil Muhammad replied that the secretary interior had to go for an in-camera briefing on the Balochistan situation. Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, however, told him that the secretary interior was served with notice two days earlier and he has violated the court order to submit his written reply to the court.

The court directed the secretary interior to submit his written reply by today (Friday). Appearing before the court, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Prosecutor KK Agha submitted that in response to Dr Arsalan’s objection, the NAB chairman has excluded both Faisal Memon and Federal Investigation Agency official Nasrullah Gondal from the JIT. He further said that the NAB chairman has now constituted a new investigation team, comprising NAB officials.

The court, however, restricted the new team from investigation and ruled that after examining the written reply of the secretary interior, police officials and report of the apex court’s registrar office, the investigation team would be allowed to further proceed.

Meanwhile, disposing of the plea of Malik Riaz pertaining to his harassment the court ruled that any subordinate court or investigating authority could proceed against Malik Riaz in accordance with law.

The court also rejected the plea of Malik Riaz’s counsel, who had requested the court that his client should not be arrested without the orders of the Supreme Court. The counsel had pleaded that the investigation authorities are harassing his client because of which he is facing difficulties during the proceedings of the case.