Khursheed's sons, 'frontman' approach SHC for pre-arrest bail

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart and former opposition leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah’s two sons on Friday approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) to seek pre-arrest bail.

Farrukh Shah and Zareeq Shah along with their lawyers moved bail petitions in the SHC requesting it to grant them pre-arrest bail in order to avoid their arrest at the hands of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) probing an assets beyond means case against their father.

Separately, an alleged frontman of the PPP leader, Syed Qasim Ali Shah, also filed a bail plea, stating that he is ready to be part of the bureau’s probe. He pleaded that he be granted bail before arrest.

An Islamabad accountability court had granted two-day transit remand of PPP leader Khursheed Shah yesterday.

He was arrested Wednesday night by a NAB team comprising officials from its Rawalpindi and Sukkur bureaus for allegedly accumulating assets disproportionate to sources of his income.

Following his transit remand, he would be shifted to Sukkur. Shah was arrested from his home in Bani Gala.

“Shah opened as many as 105 banks accounts under his and family members’ names in Karachi, Sukkur and other cities”, NAB sources claimed.

The properties were made in Sukkur, Rohri and Karachi, the bureau said, adding Glamour Bungalow, Junejo Flour Mills, Mukesh Flour Mills including 83 other properties were made under Shah’s frontman, Pehlaj Rai.

More 11 properties were registered under his another frontman Lado Mall and 10 properties were made under name of Hussain Soomro, another frontman of the PPP leader.

According to the documents available with the NAB, a person namely Umar Jan, also played a vital role for Khursheed Shah. The house and a bombproof car, being used by the PPP leader, are also registered under his name.