PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday extended the interim pre-arrest bail granted to provincial chief of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Amir Muqam over an inquiry by the National Accountability Bureau regarding his assets.

A bench consisting of Justice Lal Jan Khattak and Justice Shakeel Ahmad fixed July 29 for the next hearing into Mr Muqam’s petition seeking the grant of pre-arrest bail until the conclusion of the case by the trial court.

The PML-N leader appeared in the court but as his lawyer didn’t accompany him due to a strike by his community, the case was put off.

The high court had granted him an interim pre-arrest bail last year on the condition of furnishing two surety bonds of Rs1 million each.

The petitioner said the NAB chairman had issued warrants for his arrest as a probe was under way about the latter’s assets.

He added that the bureau had repeatedly been issuing call-up notices to him and intended to arrest him.

Mr Muqam contended that he had established a family business firm, AM & Co, which had Rs.524 million yearly profit on average.

He said all assets purchased in his name and his family members since the year 1989 had been valued at Rs701.239 million, while only the income of their firm during the last eight years exceeded Rs1.637 billion, more than double the assets’ value.

The PML-N leader claimed that though he had provided all documentary evidence regarding his assets, the NAB harassed and intimidated him by issuing first call-up notices and then arrest warrants.

He said the NAB had initiated the inquiry against him regarding assets beyond known sources of income and he had visited the office of NAB on different occasions.

Mr Muqam said he had been handed over the assets declaration performa by the nab and he had provided details of his assets.

He said he had informed the investigation team that his assets were purchased from time to time from the funds generated by the firm through working on government projects acquired after passing through the due process and the relevant government departments could verify it.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2021