LAHORE, Dec 23: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Punjab director general to take action against all accused, irrespective of their status, involved in a forex-cum-property scam.

Justice Chaudhry said this while hearing a petition by Mohsin Ayub, owner of the forex company, who has been in NAB custody for the last four years.

The petitioner's counsel says Senator Gulzar Ahmad, his senator sons Waqar Ahmad Khan and Ammar Ahmad Khan, former attorney-general for Pakistan Malik Qayyum and DSP Iqbal Tikka are the beneficiaries who abducted and implicated Mr Ayub in a case to grab a Rs1 billion worth of 12 kanals, Qasre Zauq, near Liberty Market.

The chief justice directed NAB Punjab Director General Rana Zahid Mehmood to interrogate all accused and arrest them if required without any fear. “Tell the court if anyone stop you from arresting any of the accused,” Justice Chaudhry asked the director general when he said that he needed a formal permission from the NAB chairman to make arrests in any case.

The director general also faced harsh comments from the judges sitting on the full bench when he denied having declared innocent to three senators. “It is written in the NAB report that the senators are innocent,” one of the judges on the bench told the director general.

Earlier the bench heard the accused got the property transferred to their names after kidnapping the owners – Sheikh Ayub and his son Mohsin Ayub.

Sheikh Ayub told the court Mr Qayyum had invested Rs30 million in the property which he had returned to him. But the respondents managed a NAB reference against him and later a retired brigadier had taken possession of his house on Niculson Road, Lahore.

He said the property was of worth Rs1.2 billion but Mr Qayyum and others had sold it against Rs600 million.

Mr Ayub, having tears in his eyes, told the court he had never agitated the matter at any forum as he wanted to resolve the matter amicably for the security of his family.

The chief justice, however remarked, “Courts decide cases on merit without being influenced by emotions.”

The bench asked NAB to investigate the matter afresh, record statements of Sheikh Ayub and proceed against the accused in accordance with the law. The court however did not take up a bail petition by Mohsin Ayub and adjourned the hearing.