Islamabad 14 August :The Supreme Court has adjourned hearings on Bahria Town (Pvt) Ltd’s appeal, giving the property developer additional time to submit arguments in light of the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) detailed judgment in the case.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, and comprising Justices Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, was hearing the appeal against the IHC’s short order of August 4. Senior counsel Farooq H. Naek, representing Bahria Town, sought extra time to prepare submissions after the release of the IHC’s 14-page detailed verdict.
The court accepted the request and adjourned proceedings indefinitely.
The IHC had earlier upheld the decisions of Islamabad’s Accountability Court No. 1, permitting the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to auction properties attached under a plea bargain arrangement.
The court ruled that the attachment — carried out under Sections 87 and 89 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) — was a lawful, coercive measure to compel the appearance of proclaimed offenders, including Bahria Town founder Malik Riaz Hussain, his son Ahmad Ali Riaz, and Zain Malik, who were declared absconders in January 2024.
READ MORE: NAB : Bahria Town Residents’ Assets Safe
On August 8, another Supreme Court bench had questioned the urgency in auctioning the properties while trials against Zain Malik were still ongoing, warning that the outcome could affect the confiscation process.
The IHC clarified that property attachment was not a punitive action but intended solely to ensure the accused’s attendance in court proceedings.
