Assets Reference: AC resumes hearing against Ishaq Dar today

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The accountability court (AC) today (Monday) resumes hearing of assets beyond income reference against former finance minister Ishaq Dar filed by the National Accountability Bureau(NAB) in line with the Supreme Court judgement in Panamagate case. The AC judge Judge Mohammad Bashir resumes hearing of the reference filed against Ishaq Dar for having assets beyond known means. As the NAB case against former minister reached in its final phase, the court will record the statement of Wajid Zia, the head of the Joint Investigative Team (JIT) formed by the Supreme Court and Investigation Officer, while the counsel of former minister Ishaq Dar cross examined the witnesses in today’s proceedings. The court had ordered the JIT head to appear on February 12 along with the record. The charges against Dar followed an investigation into the finances of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted in July after the Supreme Court disqualified him for not declaring salary from his son’s off-shore company. The finance minister is one of Sharif’s closest political allies and Dar’s son has married Sharif’s daughter. Both men deny any wrongdoing. Dar had resigned from his post amid his legal woes and a worsening economic outlook for Pakistan, which is battling to stave off a balance of payments crisis due to dwindling foreign currency reserve and a widening current account deficit. He was initially lauded for steering Pakistan out of a balance of payments crisis in 2013 and returning the nuclear-armed country towards a higher growth trajectory. But over the past year, he has faced criticism for his refusal to allow the rupee to weaken to ease macroeconomic pressures. He has also been accused of eroding the central bank’s independence.