RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court in its detailed order regarding the status of Ishaq Dar as proclaimed offender observed that the under-trial former finance minister does not seem to have a serious cardiac ailment.

Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir on Tuesday issued a detailed order regarding proclamation of Dar as an offender in a corruption reference filed against him for possessing assets beyond known sources of income.

According to the detailed order, the medical reports submitted before the court by Dar's lawyer do not seem to indicate that Dar is suffering from a serious cardiac ailment or that he is unfit to travel to Pakistan to appear before the courts.

It says when all the medical reports are kept together, it seems that the reports of [Dr] Ranjit Deshpandi are procured with the purpose to linger on the case/reference.

The detailed order says that while one report by Dr Christopher Baker states that "there was no disease of ischaemia (heart disease)," another report, by Dr Deshpandi "is of a different opinion."

It further says that the accused is not appearing before the court deliberately and is avoiding execution of warrant.

"Proclamation notice has rightly been issued," the order says, adding, "The accused has absconded in the case."

The order notes that according to a medical report submitted by Dar's lawyer on Monday last, "The accused has a small vessel coronary artery disease" and does not require cardiac surgery. The doctor has recommended Dar to visit a spinal surgeon, the order says.

"In this medical report, he (Dar) is not stopped to travel from London to Pakistan." it says.

It says that prosecution is directed to produce evidence in his absence within the meaning of section 512 CrPC. The prosecution is also directed to provide details of properties of the accused and produce witnesses.