Rawalpindi:
A Court of Responsibility in Rawalpindi canceled on Wednesday the arrest orders issued for former Punjab Prime Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, while reserved his decision on his request for exemption from personal appearances.
Elahi has also formally challenged the legal validity of the reference of the National Responsibility Office (NAB) presented against him.
The court accepted the request that challenged the reference for the hearing and ordered the NAB to present a detailed response. The case hearing has been postponed until July 17.
In the request that defies the reference, the legal team of Elahi argued that the document does not carry the signing of the president of NAB or is outdated. The lawyers requested that the reference be completely dismissed instead of leading to trial.
Elahi appeared in court during the audience of the reference that involved 26 coacked, related to the alleged illegal assignment of government forest lands in Takht Pari.
The legal team that represents Elahi, advocates why Misbah and Sardar Abdul Razzaq, completed his arguments about his declaration of exemption from the appearance.
Arguing about the admissibility of the reference, the lawyer Qazi Misbah said that the document lacked the signature of the president of NAB and a date, which made him legally unsustainable and inadmissible.
However, the NAB prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar, played the claim, arguing that the firm was really present. In response, the defense lawyer demanded that the signature be shown, maintaining that there is no such signature or date in the document.
The defense also cited legal precedents in support of the exemption application and presented medical reports, stating that due to the deteriorated of the health of Elahi, it was not feasible that it appeared at each audience. Reports indicate that Elahi has suffered broken ribs and can only sit with physical support during judicial procedures.
The lawyer also argued that, according to the guide of the Supreme Court, the declaration of a defendant can be recorded through a video link.
When the judge asked him to approach the gallery, Elahi reiterated: “My medical report is before you. Given my condition, I cannot attend each audience. Please consider my health or grant me three weeks of relief.”
The defense said that Elahi’s condition requires that he feel with the support of the back and to attend the court would be extremely difficult.
However, the Prosecutor’s Office opposed both the request for exemption and the plea for a postponement of three weeks, arguing that the defendant must appear at the next hearing, after which the court could reconsider its request.
The Court ordered Elahi to make sure of its appearance at the next hearing, declaring: “It must appear on the next date; we will decide what to do next.”
