Zardari challenges NAB cases being heard in Islamabad

The Supreme Court has issued notices on former president Asif Ali Zardari’s petition to have his NAB reference transferred from Islamabad to Karachi.

The court heard the petition on Wednesday morning and issued notices to NAB, Faryal Talpur and other respondents in the case.

The judges said it will have to examine the circumstances under which the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the trial to Islamabad.

The Supreme Court’s January 7, 2019 verdict is final, said the judges. “We cannot stop implementation of a court verdict nor change it.”

Lawyer Farooq H Naek said legal rights cannot be curtailed by a verdict.

Justice Umar Atta Bandial asked whether references ever been filed against Zardari in Islamabad before.

Cases were lodged in Lahore and Rawalpindi, he said, adding that one was also heard in Attock Qila.

The court adjourned the hearing for a month.

Zardari wants the cases against him to be heard in Karachi, where he lives.