Senior PPP leader Khursheed Shah likely to be released today from Sukkur prison

Senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Khursheed Shah is expected to be released from Sukkur Central Jail on Saturday after his son deposited Rs10 million surety bond in the Sukkur Accountability Court as per the Supreme Court a day earlier.

In 2019, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested the veteran opposition leader in an investigation into the sources of his wealth.

The anti-graft agency had claimed that the PPP leader was arrested concerning allegations of his assets being higher than his known sources of income.

However, on October 21, the top court granted bail to Shah in the assets beyond known sources of income case.

A two-member SC bench, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, had granted bail to the former opposition leader in the National Assembly against surety bonds worth Rs10 million.

During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor had informed the court that the investigations against the PPP leader had been completed, and explained that the reference could not be filed against Shah due to the lawyers’ strike in Sukkur.

Shah’s lawyer told the court that the bureau had accused his client of doing corruption in the purchase of 574 acres of agricultural land. The price of the land and sales deed could be confirmed via the collector’s notification.

“More than two years have passed since the arrest of Khursheed Shah, but NAB is yet to prove the allegations,” Justice Bandial had observed while questioning the NAB prosecutor during the last hearing.