LAHORE, June 18: A local accountability will resume the trial of former Punjab chief minister Mian Manzoor Ahmad Khan Wattoo in the Baitul Maal reference from July 9. A NAB prosecutor stated that since Mr Wattoo had opted for trial instead of plea bargain, his petition for acquittal should not to be heard. “If the court found him innocent, he may be released,” he added.

The court said proceedings would resume from the cross-examination of Mr G M Sikandar, head of the chief minister’s secretariat in Mr Wattoo’s tenure and even now.

Co-accused Malik Haider Usman and S M Bashir in the same reference have already opted for plea bargain.

HASHMI: The same accountability court summoned the brother of PML-N acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi on June 26. He is a co-accused in the reference which charges the ARD leader with purchasing property in Islamabad and Multan with money earned beyond his known sources of income

BADAR: A local accountability court adjourned till July 1 the pronouncement of judgment in a reference against PPP’s secretary-general Jahangir Badar who is facing charges of making illegal money and making appointments in the oil and gas departments without meeting legal requirements.

The adjournment was ordered because a Supreme Court stay order against a Lahore High Court decision is holding ground.

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

THE FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth ...
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...