ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) pasted a proclamation against Ishaq Dar, the minister on leave, asking him to surrender by Dec 4 as directed by the accountability court after his guarantor hinted on Wednesday that he might be back within the month.

The notice was also pasted at Mr Dar’s residences and he has been warned of legal consequences if he continues to abscond.

On Nov 21, the accountability court declared Mr Dar an absconder and warned his guarantor Ahmed Ali Qadoosi that his surety bonds worth Rs5 million would be confiscated if the minister did not join the trial proceedings. The guarantor, however, requested the court to grant extra time; so the court adjourned the matter for Dec 4.

It is interesting to note that in some other high-profile cases, for example in the case of judges’ detention by former dictator retired General Pervez Musharraf, the trial court initiated the process of confiscating surety bonds several years after the ex-military ruler had started absconding.

Mr Musharraf, who is also an absconder in a high treason case, Benazir Bhutto murder case, and murder case of a cleric of Lal Masjid had, like Mr Dar, developed cardiac issues when a special court had summoned him in January 2014. He was admitted to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) and stayed there till March 2014. In the meantime, a special court constituted a medical board to ascertain his health.

Mr Dar, too, had sent the court his medical report claiming that he had cardiac problems which was why he could not attend the trial proceeding. Last month, the accountability court ordered NAB to verify Mr Dar’s medical report and the special prosecutor informed the court that the bureau had written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this regard on Nov 9 and 14 and were now awaiting the response.

Talking to Dawn, Qausain Faisal Mufti, the counsel for Mr Dar, said that he did not understand why when the accountability court had already started the process of verifying his client’s medical report, instead of completing the process, it declared Mr Dar an absconder. The court had already issued a show-cause notice to Mr Dar’s guarantor, warning him of forfeiture of surety bonds if the minister did not join the court proceedings.

Mr Qadoosi told the court on Wednesday that Mr Dar was undergoing cardiac treatment in the UK and had so far got two stents implanted in his arteries.

He said that the doctors had also conducted Mr Dar’s angiography and were awaiting reports, adding that he would be back in the country within three to four weeks.

NAB has accused Mr Dar of acquiring assets worth around Rs831.7 million under his own name and/or under the names of his dependants. The bureau has declared these assets worth more than Mr Dar’s known sources of income.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2017