Court indicts Finance Minister Dar in NAB reference

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court has indicted Finance Minister Ishaq in a reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the directions of the Supreme Court on Sept 8 for possessing assets beyond known sources of income.

The Supreme Court had ordered the anti-corruption watchdog to file corruption references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his children, close aide Ishaq Dar and his son in law captain (retd) Safdar in Panama Papers case ruling on 28 July.

Dar rejected the charges read out by the judge, saying he would contest the charges and  prove his innocence through evidence. 

The minister said his assets are in accordance with his income. Barrister Masroor Shah, a legal expert, has said indictment in a criminal means beginning of trial.

He said the prosecution is directed to support the charges by producing witnesses and proofs once a person is indicted by a court.  He said although the Supreme Court of Pakistan has given a time frame to complete the trial, it shouldn't become a case of "justice hurried is justice buried"   

Dar on Monday appeared in the court to attend the hearing of a corruption case against Anwar said that a 45-year-old woman from the same village, Ghulam Fatima, was also injured.

KulsoomBibi, 45, a resident of OliPanjini village and 13-year-old AhsanKarim from the DatotPatochi village, suffered wounds as well. A 40-year-old woman from the PirKlanjar village, Kalsoom and a resident of Mithrani village NasreenAkhtar, 35 were also injured in the cross-border shelling.