02 November 2004	Tuesday	18 Ramazan 1425

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LAHORE, Nov 1: Two prosecution witnesses were on Monday cross-examined by the counsel of ARD president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi.

The PML-N leader from Multan is accused of purchasing property through 'ill-gotten' money and transferring it in the name of his close relatives and members of the family.

The wife, six daughters, a son-in-law and two brothers of Mr Hashmi are alleged to be beneficiary in one way or the other of assets valuing about Rs38 million which he purchased from 1991 and 1999 by misusing his official authority from time to time.

Advocate Malik Manzoor Ahmad argued that most of the property allegedly purchased by Mr Hashmi was bought by his wife through her own legitimate sources.

Mr Hashmi is serving 23-year imprisonment in a sedition case at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

The accountability court of Lahore deferred further proceedings in the reference till Nov 11.

BAIL GRANTED: The Lahore High Court on Monday allowed pre-arrest bail to an accused who was charged with interfering in official duty by the People's Colony, Faisalabad, police.

People's Colony police were investigating a criminal case against Aamer Raza Khan. Police took with them the complainant and asked him to bring the accused to them. On seeing the complainant, the accused started beating him and the police registered against him a case for interfering in the investigation process.

Aamer Raza filed a writ petition before the Lahore High Court submitting that the police were conducting raids to arrest him. He stated that the way the police approached him for investigation was unlawful and could have resulted in an offence graver than the first allegation.

His counsel stated that the police record did not show that they were approaching his client for investigation.

The court agreed to the counsel's plea and observed that the way the police adopted was intimidatory and was in no way legal.