Big relief for Ishaq Dar from NAB court

 NAB court Islamabad suspended the arrest warrant of Ishaq Dar till October 07

PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar gets big relief from an accountability court in Islamabad. Accountability Court judge Muhammad Bashir suspended the arrest warrants of former finance minister and PML-N leader Ishaq Dar till October 07 in a case pertaining to declaring him a proclaimed offender. In 2017, the court had declared Dar who is in London in a corruption reference after he failed to join the trial against him.

During the hearing today, the PML-N leader’s counsel Qazi Misbah requested the court to take back the arrest warrant it had issued against his client. “The National Accountability Bureau should be stopped from arresting Dar. He will come straight to the court as soon as he lands in Pakistan,” Misbah promised.

 “We will consider permanently suspending Dar’s arrest warrants once he appears before the court in person,” the judge added.

Ishaq Dar’s counsel filed a petition seeking the reversal of the arrest warrants on Thursday. The application pleaded that Dar should not be arrested when he returns home since he wanted to surrender to the court to join the trial.

It is a big relief for PML-N senator and he is planning to return to the country. He will take oath as a senator after his return.  He is planning to return to Pakistan next week. He is a strong contender for the post of federal finance minister after current finance minister Miftah Ismail will complete his term of 6 months next month. Miftah Ismail is not a parliamentarian so he can only continue working as federal minister for 6 months under the constitution and laws.

Ishaq Dar is likely to replace him as next finance minister. Ishaq Dar has served twice as finance minister and he is known to keep the Pak Rupee stronger against the dollar. The dollar has almost reached at historic high against Rupee. PML-N leadership is hoping that Ishaq Dar might be able to arrest the rising dollar and inflation in the country as finance minister.

The time will tell whether these expectations and hopes are correct or not.    

                                                               Khalid Bhatti