LAHORE: An accountability court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Sheikh Muhammad Afzal, owner of Haris Steel Mills and co-accused, over his failure to appear in the Bank of Punjab (BoP) reference.

A duty judge presided over the proceedings against former BoP president Hamesh Khan and others.

Expressing displeasure over Sheikh Afzal’s repeated absence, the court dismissed his exemption application, canceled his surety bonds, and ordered the confiscation of the surety amount.

Additionally, a show-cause notice was issued to his guarantor, who has been directed to respond by March 11.

During the hearing, the defence counsel argued that an appeal against the accountability court’s ruling was pending before the Lahore High Court. They requested that witness statements should not be recorded until the appeal is decided.

The accused had challenged the accountability court’s decision to dismiss an application filed by NAB for the withdrawal of the BoP reference.

Through the application, NAB had given a clean chit to Hamesh Khan, Sheikh Muhammad Afzal and others, and sought permission to withdraw the reference. NAB stated that a recent review revealed no substantial evidence of corruption against the accused. The bureau further submitted that the NAB chairman had instructed the withdrawal of the reference.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2025