An Islamabad civil judge on Saturday issued the arrest warrant of Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr. Javid Leghari for failing to pay a building’s rent.
In 2009, Leghari rented a building in sector I/10 on the HEC’s behalf for an educational project, however, the agreed rent was not paid, due to which the building’s owner approached the district court.
In February 2013, the court decided the matter in the building owner’s favour and directed the chairman to pay Rs 3.4 million to the owner. In the last hearing on May 18, Leghari had furnished security bonds worth Rs 10,000 and assured the court that he would pay the rent, but he did not.
Due to this, Islamabad Civil Judge Nisr Minullah issued Leghari’s arrest warrant and ordered him to appear before the court on June 3.
The building owner’s counsel, Barrister Ammar Sehri told Pakistan Today that despite the arrest warrant, Leghari could be granted bail if the required amount was paid.
When contacted, HEC Law Officer Umer Hanif Khichi said that they would challenge this decision. He said that the chairman had ordered an inquiry into the building hiring case.