Will definitely returnafter treatment: Dar

LONDON: Former finance minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Saturday said that he will definitely return to Pakistan after his medical treatment concludes. Dar was visiting Begum Kulsoom Nawaz -- who is undergoing cancer treatment in London since August last year -- to inquire about her health. "Pakistan is my country and I will definitely return to it," he said.

Ishaq Dar said that he was presently receiving medical treatment in London and would return as soon as his doctors give him go ahead. Dar, a close aide of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, is accused of possessing assets disproportionate to his declared sources of income. A reference against him was filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the light of the Supreme Court's July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case. The NAB prosecutor, during the February 23 hearing of the corruption reference against Dar, had informed the court that the Bureau will be filing supplementary references against the accused today (Monday).

Earlier, prosecution witness Inaamul Haq recorded his statement before the court while property documents for Dar's wife and son Ali Dar were also furnished before the court.

The NAB has sought more time to record the statement of the investigation officer. An appellate tribunal of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on February 17 had ruled in Dar’s favour after his nomination papers for the Senate election were rejected by a returning officer.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had submitted court documents before the returning officer, stating that Dar was a court absconder in a corruption reference underway in the Islamabad accountability court. Dar had filed nomination papers for a technocrat seat in the Senate from the the PML-N for the election, scheduled for March 3.