A civil judge in Islamabad handed over Pakistan Muslim League –Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Anjum Aqeel Khan and former National Police Foundation (NPF) director Abdul Hanan to the Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) for a five-day physical remand on Sunday for their involvement in the Rs 6 billion NPF land scam. Amid tight security, the FIA officials produced Anjum Aqeel and Abdul Hanan in the court of duty judge Islamabad Usman Ali Awan. FIA investigators pleaded before the magistrate that investigations in NPF land scam were underway and they required a five day physical remand of the accused to make recoveries.
However, defence counsel Zafar Ali Shah argued that Anjum Aqeel was a heart patient and could not be sent on physical remand for his alleged involvement in the land fraud case. “This is not a criminal case therefore there is no justification of physical remand,” Shah maintained. He also pleaded that FIA had already been given physical remand of Anjum and there was no need of further remand. However, turning down Shah’s arguments, the magistrate sent Anjum Aqeel and former director NPF on 5 day-physical remand. MNA Anjum Aqeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, former NPF managing director and Abdul Hanan, former director NPF were arrested on Saturday from courtroom of a special court Rawalpindi when court dismissed their bail.
NPF had chosen the lawmaker’s company Land Linkers to procure land for a housing scheme in Sector E-11. However, Anjum Aqeel in connivance with NPF allegedly committed fraud of Rs 6 billion in land deal. Later, Supreme Court took a suo motu notice of the scam and ordered for registration of FIRs against Khan and others.
