Petition against Ahad Cheema's arrest adjourned till March 26

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Wednesday adjourned the petition against arrest of former director general of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Ahad Cheema till March 26 after his counsel sought time to file a civil miscellaneous application challenging his remand and newly initiated inquiries against him.

An LHC bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh heard the petition filed by Ahad Cheema.

As the proceedings began, Ahad Cheema's counsel Azam Nazir Tarar criticised the way the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested his client violating his fundamental rights. He submitted that NAB had also initiated three more inquiries against his client in a bid to keep him on remand.

He said NAB had released a picture showing Ahad Cheema behind the bars. If he were acquitted by the court then who would be responsible for defaming him, he questioned.

However, NAB's prosecutor argued that no violation of law had been committed as police also adopted the same manners.

To a query regarding bureaucrats' agitation in the wake of Ahad Cheema's arrest, Tarar submitted that Cheema was a competent officer and his arrest had worried bureaucrats. The matter was also given a media hype, he added.

The NAB's prosecutor submitted that the petition had become ineffective as the court concerned had remanded the accused into NAB custody.

To which, Ahad's counsel sought time to file an application challenging his client's remand and new inquiries initiated against him.

At this, the bench allowing the request, adjourned further hearing till March 26.