SUKKUR: An accountability court in Sukkur on Monday extended the physical remand of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart Khursheed Shah till November 4 in owning assets beyond means case.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had sought extension in Shah’s physical remand for another 15 days, and produced him in the courtroom amid tight security measures.
During the hearing today, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) head Dr Nadeem Qamar submitted a medical report that mentioned that Shah has been suffering from a heart ailment for the last 20 years.
The medical report further read that Shah has been suffering from blood pressure and breathing problems, and pleaded with the court to immediately shift him to the hospital for medical attention.
In the previous hearing, the court extended his remand till Oct 21. On Oct 1, Shah was remanded in NAB custody for 13 days. On July 31, the anti-corruption watchdog approved an inquiry against him.
Shah, who served as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly during the term of the previous government, was arrested by the bureau from Islamabad.
However, the court had permitted Shah to meet his family members and get home-cooked food while in custody.
A large number of PPP workers, including his son, MPA Syed Farukkuh Shah, his son-in-law and nephew, provincial minister Syed Owais Qadir Shah, MPA Manzoor Wasan, Sukkur Mayor Arslan Islam Shaikh, and others had gathered around the courthouse during the hearing to express solidarity with the leader.
The counsel for Shah, Mukesh Kumar Karara, had argued that his client was being subjected to political vendetta.
Contrarily, the NAB counsel had argued that the inquiry was initiated against Shah for allegedly having assets beyond his known sources of income. He pointed out that Shah was arrested because he was not cooperating in the investigation.
On the other hand, the Sindh High Court had granted pre-arrest bails to Khurshid Shah’s sons – Zeerak and Farukh Shah – and alleged frontman Syed Qasim Ali Shah in the assets case against surety bonds of Rs500,000 each. The SHC directed NAB officials not to arrest the suspects till Oct 16.
