An accountability court once again, on Wednesday, issued a permanent arrest warrant for former finance minister and PML-N member Ishaq Dar for possessing assets beyond his means.

Islamabad’s accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir presided over the hearing of the corruption references against Dar.

Dar had been declared an absconder after he missed the hearings for the reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau against him.

In July 2017, a Supreme Court larger bench had ordered NAB to file three references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and one against then finance minister Dar, on petitions filed by PTI chairman Imran Khan, Jamaat-i-Islami’s Sirajul Haq and Awami Muslim League’s Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

During today’s hearing, the court ruled that the hearing would not progress until Dar was arrested and presented.

The court observed that the decision on the acquittal of the co-accused would be issued after Dar’s arrest.

It is pertinent to mention that the co-accused had filed pleas for their acquittal and challenged the reference under the NAB amendment ordinance.