October 5, 2001	Friday	Rajab 17, 1422

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PESHAWAR, Oct 4: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday allowed bail to a former federal minister, Syed Qasim Shah, arrested by the National Accountability Bureau on charges of corruption.

A division bench comprising Justice Abdur Rauf Leghmani and Justice Qazi Ahsanullah Qureshi directed that the accused- petitioner should be released on furnishing two sureties of Rs 5 million each.

Mr Shah, facing charges of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, is the first accused who is granted bail by the Peshawar High Court under the NAB Ordinance 1999.

He had filed a writ petition, stating that he had been facing prostrate problem and should be released on bail. He has already been undergoing treatment at Aga Khan Hospital Karachi.

Advocates Zafar Abbas Zaidi and Aneesa Zaib Tahirkheli appeared for the petitioner and argued that after the judgment of the Supreme Court in the cases pertaining to NAB Law, the accused was entitled to bail. It was argued that the petitioner was above 50 years of age.

The counsel informed that reference against the accused was filed on Jan 6, whereas the evidence of prosecution witnesses completed on Aug 4.

The accused filed the writ petition on  Aug 22, whereas the high court directed the prosecution on Sept 4 to admit the accused in any hospital of his choice in the country.

REMAND: An accountability court here on Thursday extended remand of former provincial minister Ayub Tanoli in the custody of NAB for 14 days.

The accused was produced before the accountability court No. 4 presided by Miftauddin Khan.

He has been facing charges of having assets not in accordance with his known sources of income.