NUZHAT NAZAR

ISLAMABAD:  Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted a seven-day protective bail to former Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday after his arrest warrants were issued in the multi-billion rupee Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) scam.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered 21 FIRs in the case while Gilani, according to his lawyer Raja Aleem Abbasi, had obtained bail in 12 FIRs.

Senior counsel for former Prime Minister Farooq H. Naek informed the court that there was another FIR pending against his client and requested bail be granted to his client in that FIR as well. Justice Qureshi directed the counsel to file another petition in IHC seeking a protective bail in the FIR and the same bench would take up that petition on Wednesday (today).

A federal anti-corruption court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Gilani, Makhdoom Amin Fahim and others last week.

During the course of hearing, Naek told the court that Gilani was innocent and his name was not mentioned in the initial FIRs but included in the final challan. He further told the court that the former prime minister wished to appear before federal court in Karachi but feared that the FIA may pressurize him to make statements against his own party colleagues.

Justice Qureshi, while granting protective bail to Gilani, directed him to submit a Rs 100,000 surety bond in each case. Since, there are 8 FIRs therefore he was to furnish a surety bond of Rs 800,000. The judge however clarified that protective bail would expire after one week in the event that Gilani does not appear before the trial court. Prior to the hearing, a large number of PPP lawyers, including Raja Shafqat Abbasi, Amir Fida Paracha, People Lawyers Forum’s president Raja Shakeel Abbasi gathered on the premises of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association’s office.

Talking to media, Gilani said that he was being politically victimized but added that “We have faith in the judiciary and we will defend allegations against us in the courts”.