ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: A special court here on Saturday extended for another week the interim bail of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) lawmaker Anjum Aqeel Khan in the Rs6 billion National Police Foundation land scam case.

It was the 14th extension in the interim bail granted to the accused since July when the case was brought to the court.

According to the recommendations of National Judicial Policy (NJP), a trial court has to decide the bail plea of an accused within five days; therefore, the period of interim bail cannot be extended for more than the prescribed period.

When Special Judge Central Mian Khalid Shabbir resumed hearing of the case,

Malik Waheed Anjum, the counsel for Abdul Hanan, director NPF, could not appear in the court for personal reasons.

Senator Syed Zafar Ali Shah, the counsel for Mr Khan, told the court that he was ready to argue his case but on the request of the counsel for co-accused Hanan, the court adjourned the hearing till December 3.

Mr Shah told Dawn that he replaced Mr Khan's defence counsel Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui who has become an additional judge of Islamabad High Court.

When asked did he think the consecutive 14-time extension in the interim bail was in accordance with the NJP, Mr Shah said he had recently been engaged for the case; therefore, he was not aware of the earlier details.

The MNA along with other accused was allegedly involved in the Rs6 billion corruption in several land purchases by the NPF.

Mr Khan's company, Land Linkers, was chosen to procure land for a housing scheme in Sector E-11 for constructing a police colony.

An FIR was registered with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against Mr Khan along with Iftikhar Ahmed, Mian Amin, Abdul Hanan, Nafees Ahmed and Khuda Bakhsh, a former deputy director of NPF, after Zafar Ahmed Qureshi, the then managing director of NPF, assured the Supreme Court on June 21 that the Rs6 billion would be recovered from the accused.

The apex court was then hearing a suo motu case of the land scam.