The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday blocked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from auctioning properties owned by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zulfi Bukhari, citing legal complications in the ongoing Al-Qadir Trust case.
A division bench, comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Inam Amin Minhas, issued the restraining order after hearing a petition from Bukhari’s sister. The plea contended that the planned public sale was legally untenable because the division of the family’s property had not yet been finalized.
The court’s intervention came after the anti-graft watchdog had directed the auction of over 800 kanals of agricultural land belonging to the former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister. Following the bureau’s directive, the Assistant Commissioner of Jand in District Attock had published a formal notice for the sale, which was scheduled to take place at the Municipal Office in Jand.
According to reports, the holdings listed for disposal included two separate tracts of land, one measuring 771 kanals and 9 marlas and another of 25 kanals and 7 marlas, bringing the total area to approximately 800 kanals.
Reacting to the development earlier, Zulfi Bukhari had denounced the accountability body’s move, labeling it a mockery of the law and an illustration of injustice in the nation’s legal system. “Even if all my properties are taken away, I will never step back from the struggle for Imran Khan’s freedom and a democratic Pakistan,” he asserted.
The high court’s decision temporarily suspends the planned property sale until further proceedings in the case.