SC gives Malik Riaz last chance to submit reply
12 June, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday gave last chance to Malik Riaz Hussain and Ahmed Ali Riaz, chief executive of Bahria Town, to file concise statements by today (Tuesday) in the case regarding an alleged business deal with chief justice of Pakistan's son Arsalan Iftikhar, otherwise the court would proceed on the basis of material available.
The court directed Ali Riaz to appear before it in person, otherwise it would be compelled to pass an order against him. It rejected Arsalan Iftikhar's plea to restrain media from airing programmes on the case during its pendency. The court also directed Attorney General (AG) of Pakistan Irfan Qadir to provide security to Dr Arsalan. The AG assured the court that he would ask the Interior Ministry in this regard.
Zahid Bukhari, counsel for Malik Riaz, suggested the bench refer the matter to competent forum, or form a commission similar to the memo commission to probe the matter because the Supreme Court was not an investigating agency. A two-member bench comprising Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain heard suo motu case regarding allegations of business deal between Malik Riaz and Arsalan Iftikhar, in an attempt to influence the judicial process.
During the hearing, Sardar Ishaq, the counsel for Arsalan, submitted an application in which he made reference to a programme aired on a private TV channel on June 10, in which the host, Hamid Mir, had claimed that Malik Riaz told him that he had video and pictures of Arsalan's mother and sister. A visibly aggressive Arsalan told the court that Malik Riaz had no right to blackmail his family. He asked the court to put him and Malik Riaz on Exit Control List. He also said that they should be jailed until the finalisation of the case. "I would reply to all the allegations," he declared.
Zahid Bukhari denied his client made such a statement to Hamid Mir or anyone else. He said his client would never say anything disrespecting to any member of the chief justice or Arsalan's family. The court expressed annoyance over Arsalan's attitude and asked him to maintain court decorum. It told the chief justice's son that if needed he would be sent to jail, and directed him to be silent in the presence of his counsel.
The court directed the Federal Bureau of Revenue to file by Tuesday (today) the complete tax returns of Malik Riaz from 1986-87 until May 15, 2012, when he resigned from Bahria Town as chairman. The court would resume hearing of the case today.
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