KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday extended bail of former provincial minister Jam Khan Shoro till December 5 in a corruption case.
According to officials of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the former minister is facing inquiries in three different cases.
One of the cases against the former provincial local government minister includes illegal allotment of 62 government plots in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area. Former Karachi Development Authority director general Nasir Abbas has also been arrested in the same case. The NAB said illegal allotment of plots cost the national exchequer Rs 180 million.
The minister is also facing charges of encroaching 262 acres of land in Thatta and setting up of a petrol station on a land of a water hydrant in Hyderabad’s Qasimabad area.
Shoro is currently the MPA from PS-62 Hyderabad-I elected on the Pakistan People’s Party ticket. A probe against him was launched by the accountability watchdog in October last year.
A petition regarding the candidacy of Shoro was also filed before the Sindh High Court. The petitioner, Mehboob Abro, had claimed that Shoro was not qualified to contest the elections, alleging that the former provincial minister was involved in forging the land record.
During the hearing, defence lawyer Khalid Javed Khan told the court that NAB, in their previous answering, stated that signatures of Jam Khan Shoro were present on the documents that contain minutes of the KDA meeting.
The lawyer added that the plots upon which Jam Khan Shoro has been alleged for their auction were auctioned over court’s orders.
During the proceedings, the court questioned the Investigation officer for the copies of documents against Jam Khan Shoro to which he responded that all the pertaining documents are in the possession of National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Hence, the court ordered to provide copies of the documents to Jam Khan Shoro from National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Investigation Officer.