PML-N’s Ishaq Dar takes oath as senator

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Senior PML-N leader Ishaq Dar took oath as a member of the Upper House of the Parliament amid the opposition’s hue and cry.

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani administered the oath to Ishaq Dar, who will also be sworn in as federal finance minister.

The opposition benches in the senate strongly protest during the oath-taking ceremony and the chairman senate has to call security.

According to sources, President Arif Alvi will administer the oath to Ishaq Dar in a ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Ishaq Dar will also attend Wednesday’s meeting of the federal cabinet as finance minister.

Earlier, Senior PML-N leader and nominated federal finance minister Ishaq Dar met Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in his chamber.

Dar was accompanied by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and others.

In the meeting, they discussed the present country’s political situation.

Earlier, Ishaq Dar could not surrender himself in court in a NAB reference regarding assets beyond means.

Judge Muhammad Bashir of Islamabad Accountability Court was on leave for today.

The security was tightened in and around the accountability court (AC) in Islamabad as all routes leading to the Judicial Complex were sealed with barbed wires in anticipation of Ishaq Dar’s possible surrender before the court.

The AC, on the last hearing of the case, had suspended Dar’s permanent arrest warrants until October 7, 2022.

Later, it its written order, the court had said that the former finance minister should be given an opportunity to defend himself if he wanted to appear in the court.

Furthermore, the court had said in its order that Dar’s arrest warrants had been issued to ensure his appearance in the court.

The NAB had filed the reference against Dar on September 8, 2017, and it was 20 days later that the AC indicted him in the case.

Later, on December 11, 2017, the court while declaring the ex-finance minister a proclaimed offender had issued his permanent arrest warrants.