LAHORE, Aug 23: FIA deputy director Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera has stated in the court of an additional district and sessions judge that he is not aware of any legal proceedings in progress against him and that he had appeared in the court after getting information through certain newspaper reports.

The court allowed bail to the FIA official with the instruction that he should join the trial in a case of Qazf (false allegations) and appear as an accused on September 5 when the case will be taken up again.

The case was registered against him and Nadra Begum alias Hina Khan under Section 10 of the Qazf (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance, 1979, on the complaint of Gohar Sarfraz Qureshi, a resident of Jauhar Town, who stated that the two accused had leveled false allegation against him and others that they had raped women from certain Central Asian Republics, who were staying with Nadra Begum as guests in April 2005.

It was on the direction of the Federal Shariat Court that the FIA officer was summoned in the case.

He failed to appear on July 25 and then again on Aug 15 after which the trial court issued bailable warrants of the arrest of the FIA officer.

The FSC intervened in the proceedings on a criminal review petition filed by Gohar Sarfraz who submitted that the trial court had summoned only Ms Nadra and not the FIA officer on whose behest a false case was instituted against him.