RAWALPINDI, Jan 14: An accountability court ordered the release of former establishment secretary Ismail Qureshi on Saturday after he submitted an undertaking to appear before the National Accountability Bureau’s investigator whenever called in the case of appointment of matriculate Adnan Khawaja as managing director of the Oil and Gas Development Corporation.

NAB investigation officer Mohsin Ali had produced Mr Qureshi before the administrative judge of the bureau’s court, Mohammad Tariq Abbasi, and requested him to grant physical remand of the accused because the NAB was seeking some important documents and needed his custody to further investigate the matter.

He said the NAB issued arrest warrants for Mr Qureshi on Jan 12 when he was in Lahore. He was arrested in Islamabad on Jan 13.

Following the court order, the NAB officials released Mr Qureshi on personal surety and a bond of Rs20,000.

In reply to a query by the court, the NAB investigator said that Mr Qureshi was cooperating with them but was arrested because his physical custody was required.

The judge observed that it was not an investigation, but an inquiry, and said why Mr Qureshi was arrested without serving a court notice if he was cooperating with the investigator.

He directed the investigator to take Mr Qureshi into custody when he had sufficient evidence against the former secretary or if the accused was not cooperating with him.

NAB deputy prosecutor general Chaudhry Riaz told the court that Adnan Khawaja was an NRO beneficiary and was not qualified enough but was appointed as the OGDCL managing director on the orders of the then establishment secretary Mr Qureshi who was responsible for ensuring the observance of rules for appointments.