ISLAMABAD July 23: The National Accountability Bureau asked the chiefs of Islamabad and Punjab police on Monday to ensure production of Dr Arsalan Iftikhar, son of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, before a joint investigation team (JIT) on Thursday in connection with a graft case.

“Letters have been sent to the IGs of Islamabad and Punjab to ensure the presence of Dr Arsalan before the JIT on July 26,” a senior NAB official told Dawn.

According to Zafar Iqbal, the spokesman for the bureau, Dr Arsalan had been summoned by NAB to appear on Monday to record his statement, but he did not turn up. “A notice has been issued under section 19 of the NAB Ordinance for his appearance before the JIT on July 26,” he said.

For the first time the JIT also issued a notice to Dr Faqir Hussain, Registrar of the Supreme Court, to personally appear on Wednesday to record his statement.

Real estate tycoon Malik Riaz, a main character in the case, recorded his statement on Friday and submitted some documentary evidence to substantiate allegations he had levelled against Arsalan Iftikhar. He claimed to have paid Rs342 million to Dr Arsalan for settlement of his case being tried in the Supreme Court.

On the other hand, Arsalan submitted a statement in the Supreme Court on June 10, denying the allegation and terming it false and baseless.

NAB had also summoned Salman Ahmed, son-in-law of Malik Riaz, and Ahmed Khalil, a friend of the property magnate, but they also did not turn up.

The NAB spokesman said that in a fax message sent from the UK, Salman Ahmed said he was receiving life threats and it was not possible for him to travel to Pakistan for the case. He said he was ready to record his statement outside the country.

Ahmed Khalil said in a letter to NAB that he was undergoing medical treatment in a hospital in Germany and, therefore, it was not possible for him to appear before the JIT.