Supplementary Asset Reference: Hearing against Dar adjourned till Friday

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – An accountability court (AC) on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of supplementary reference against former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in line with the Supreme Court directives in the Panamagate case till Friday. The accountability court (AC) judge Muhammad Bashir resumes hearing of the supplementary asset beyond income reference against the federal minister. On a petition filed by National Bank of Pakistan President Saeed Ahmad Khan, the court granted him exemption from appearance for two days. The court could not indict the accused in the case and adjourned the hearing till Friday. Previously, 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.