ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has suspended the operation of a lower court’s decision and restrained authorities from arresting Najaf Hameed, the brother of former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, in a case involving alleged land fraud.
The high court issued notices to the relevant parties and sought their responses after Hameed approached the IHC challenging the cancellation of his bail. The court also suspended proceedings related to the Special Judge Central’s order until the next hearing, effectively providing him temporary protection from arrest.
The development follows a written order by Special Judge Central FIA Shah Rukh Arjumand, who had cancelled Hameed’s bail and ordered his immediate arrest. The special court’s order recorded allegations that the accused prepared a fake registry and carried out fraudulent mutation of land records.
According to the prosecution, Hameed allegedly deceived the complainant by transferring only 10 marlas of land instead of the agreed one-kanal plot. The court order also cited allegations of misuse of official position for personal gain and noted that an inquiry under the Money Laundering Act is underway.
The FIA had argued before the trial court that custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover material facts and complete the investigation. Prosecutors maintained that extraordinary relief such as bail could not be granted solely on the basis of a complainant’s statement or an alleged settlement.
Read: Court orders arrest of ex-ISI chief Faiz Hameed’s brother after cancelling bail
While the special court accepted the FIA’s application for bail cancellation, Najaf Hameed was not present in court when the order was announced.
Following the IHC’s intervention, the arrest order remains stayed and the matter has been adjourned for further proceedings.
