NAB takes Miftah Ismail into custody after IHC rejects bail plea

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested on Wednesday Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former finance minister Miftah Ismail in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contract case.

NAB arrested the former finance minister outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The bureau arrested him after the IHC rejected his bail petition, local media reported.

Last month, NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal had signed Ismail's arrest warrants. The chairman had also dispatched teams in Karachi and Islamabad to take Ismail into custody. However, the team returned empty-handed as the PML-N leader was not found at home.

Following the issue of arrest warrants, Ismail approached the Singh High Court (SHC) for pre-arrest bail. The SHC had accepted his application and granted him bail. The PML-N leader had again approached the IHC pleading for pre-arrest bail.

The accountability watchdog has already arrested former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the LNG case.