The Supreme Court has accepted the bail application of PPP leader Khursheed Shah against surety bond of Rs10 million, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

A two-judge bench of Supreme Court headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial heard the bail petition filed by PPP senior leader Khursheed Shah in an asset beyond means case on Thursday. 

The court granted the bail against surety bond worth Rs10 million. 

In its short order, the apex court said that there were no solid reasons to put Mr Shah behind the bars anymore. 

However, on the request of Nation Accountability Bureau, the top court put Mr Shah’s name on the Exit Control List with the direction that if the trial court deemed it fit, it could remove the PPP leader’s name from the ECL. 

Justice Bandial inquired of the NAB whether the anti-graft body had proved any of its allegations against Mr Shah. 

“It’s ironic that the witnesses, the NAB has presented before the court, they are opponents of Mr Khursheed,” the judge added.

More than two years have passed by, but the NAB has yet to prove the allegations, Justice Bandial remarked and added if the accused was in custody how he could provide the relevant documents to the bureau. 

The NAB prosecutor told the court that Mr Shah had travelled 40 times to foreign countries while his family made 100 foreign sojourns. He accused Mr Shah of transferring a piece of land allocated for a government school in the name of his family members. 

On this, Justice Bandial observed that Mr Shah was not a poor man. He himself revealed that his family possesses Rs370 million in cash, he said asking him did the NAB have some other proof than the proof that Mr Shah travelled abroad 40 times. 

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah asked NAB to stop beating about the bush and ordered it to present substantiated proof against Mr Shah.

The NAB prosecutor told the court that Mr Shah remained in jail only for two months. 

On this, Justice Bandial said this was the problem of our society and it’s called in English as ‘Elite Culture’ 

The NAB arrested Mr Shah on Sept 18, 2019 in an asset beyond means reference.

Bilawal congratulates Khursheed

 PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has felicitated Khursheed Shah on his bail. He said the government in collusion with the NAB had put Mr Shah in jail for two years terming it the political victimization. 

Bilawal held that not only Mr Shah but his whole family was made target of political victimization. But the government has failed to threaten or subdue them, he added. He said Mr Shah was implicated in fake corruption cases and was punished for his love for democracy. 

Reporters Amanat Gishkori, Usman Javed