PESHAWAR, March 30: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday granted interim relief to the National Accountability Bureau (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and restrained an arrested medical superintendent of Peshawar City Hospital from disposing of his assets.

A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel was hearing a writ petition filed by the NAB (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) challenging decision of an accountability court regarding unfreezing of the assets of the accused, Dr Muhammad Saleem, charged with possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The petitioner has also filed an application seeking interim relief and requesting the court to order freezing of assets of the accused till final disposal of the writ petition.

The accused was arrested by the NAB on March 22. The accused, who is also a former medical superintendent of Hayatabad Medical Complex, is accused of possessing assets to the tune of Rs43.441 million.

The NAB has alleged that the accused belonged to a mediocre family of Lakki Marwat and his present status in no way matches his family background.

The deputy prosecutor general of NAB, Jamal Khattak, contended that the NAB had frozen the assets of the accused under the NAB Ordinance, 1999, and referred the issue to the accountability court for confirmation of the said order.

However, he added that the court had not entertained that request of the bureau. He requested the court to freeze his assets till final disposal of the writ petition as they had apprehension that during his trial the accused would dispose of the said properties.

The bench also put on notice the NAB in a writ petition filed by the accused seeking his release on bail.