ISLAMABAD: The federal government has sou­ght more time to inform the Islamabad High Court (IHC) why three close confidants of property tycoon Malik Riaz were recently stopped from going abroad.

The request was made on Thursday during the hearing of a petition filed by the Bahria Town chief surveyor, Manzoor Hussain Mughal, who was among the three men offloaded from a Saudi Arabia-bound flight.

The FIA had earlier told the court that the names of Mughal and two other Bahria Town officials — retired brigadiers Tahir Butt and Zafar Iqbal Shah — were placed on the Passport Control List on the recommendation of General Headquarters.

Mr Butt and Mr Shah oversee land-related matters, while Mughal holds the key position of chief surveyor for all real estate projects belonging to the controversial property developer, Malik Riaz.

On Thursday, Justice Kayani sought a reply from the Defence Ministry for including the petitioner, Mr Mughal’s name, in the no-fly list.

Assistant Attorney Gen­eral Barrister Usman Ghu­mman sought time for the ministry to submit a det­ailed reply. Subsequently, the hearing was adjourned till June 5.

The offloading of the three Bahria Town offici­a­­ls is being seen as part of other recent actions agai­nst Malik Riaz, which he has decried in recent social me­­dia posts which were un­­­characteristic of the well-connected property tyco­­on. Earlier this week, the firm’s Rawalpindi offices were raided, ostensibly by NAB and local police.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2024