ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) headed by Chief Justice Athar Min­allah on Wednesday granted pre-arrest bail to the former chief minister of Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, in the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) case against surety bonds of Rs200,000.

The court restrained the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from arresting Mr Shah till June 8.

The executive board of NAB had last month approved a reference to be filed against former PSM chairman Aftab Sheikh for causing a loss of Rs434.4 million to the national exchequer.

The counsel for Mr Shah informed the court that NAB had issued call-up notices to his client in April and May.

He expressed apprehensions that the anti-graft watchdog may arrest Mr Shah in order to tarnish his image. He argued that the former chief minister is ready to appear before the investigation officer.

The court granted interim bail to Mr Shah, issued a notice to NAB and adjourned the hearing till June 8.

Meanwhile, NAB issued another summons to Mr Shah. According to his lawyer, Mr Shah will appear before NAB on May 27 (today).

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2021