July 26, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 22, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 25: Two senior officials of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), who were arrested for beating and dragging a citizen on the premises of the Supreme Court on Thursday, have been sent to the Adiala Jail.

Col (retired) Tariq Bhatti and Mohammad Aslam were taken into custody in the contempt of court case on the directives of the apex court.

The next hearing of their case will be held on July 30. Two journalists - Syed Muzzammil Hussain, president Supreme Court Press Association, and Rashid Habib - filed their affidavits about the incident according to the court orders.

When a senior police official of the Secretariat police was contacted, he confirmed that the accused had been sent to the Adiala Jail.

The three-member bench of the Supreme Court in its order said, “Prima facie, we are of the view that Col (retired) Tariq and M. Aslam along with three unknown persons are guilty of committing gross contempt of this court. Therefore, they are remanded to police custody by order of this court so that proceedings may be initiated against them under article 204 of the Constitution.

The SHO Secretariat is directed to take both the accused persons/alleged contemners in judicial custody and keep them at Central Jail Rawalpindi until further orders to come up on July 30.”—APP