AC extends remand of Ahsan Iqbal for seven days

ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court Islamabad Monday extended physical remand of the PML-N senior leader Ahsan Iqbal in Narowal Sports City corruption reference by seven days.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) produced Ahsan Iqbal before the Accountability Court Judge Azam Khan. During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor briefed the court about development in investigation process and requested the court to grant further 14-day physical remand of the accused. However, the court directed the NAB investigators to complete the inquiry as early as possible as they would not get more remand of the PML-N leader in future. The court granted seven days remand.

The NAB Prosecutor Usman Mirza pleaded that even the feasibility study of the project was not conducted, which was an evidence of dishonesty. He said that after the 18th Amendment, the federal government had no authority on a provincial project. He said the court had granted seven days remand previously, out of which, for two days the accused was attending the assembly session. He said that NAB had a lot of documents related to the case due to which it needs 14-day remand.

The investigators wanted to take information regarding the accused’s job on basis of Iqama. Ahsan Iqbal's counsel Barrister Zafarullah opposed the NAB request for more remand and stating that the prosecution's case was weak. He said that only his client had been arrested out of 20 people responsible to approve the project. He said the NAB had not told anything new to the court. Addressing the judge, Ahsan Iqbal said the NAB case was nothing more than a joke which would be remembered in history. He said that 10 more sports complexes should be constructed like Narowal Sports Complex. He said the NAB had an objection that why this project was introduced in Narowal. He said this city was also a part of the country. He said the project worth Rs400 million was ruined by stopping work on it.