Khawaja Asif walks free after six months

LAHORE: Veteran Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif was released from prison on Thursday after the Lahore High Court (LHC) issued his release orders, which were sent to Kot Lakhpat Jail.

A day earlier, the LHC had granted post-arrest bail to Asif in assets beyond means case. A two-judge bench headed by Justice Aliya Neelum approved the bail petition after hearing arguments from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor and the PML-N leader’s lawyer.

The NAB prosecutor contended before the court that the accused neither provided money trail of funds transferred to him from the UAE nor disclosed the sources through which these were transferred.

The bench observed that the NAB had made the documents that supported its case as part of the record, while those in favour of Khawaja Asif were not made part of it. “The bureau accepts a work permit but not its conditions,” it noted, adding: “The NAB itself changed its stance by submitting two reports to the court.”

Asif’s counsel Barrister Haider Rasul Mirza contended that the corruption watchdog apprehended him despite the fact that he had provided it all the relevant records regarding his assets. Besides, he added, the same record was also available with the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).