Islamabad: IHC rejects bail plea of Margalla Towers builder

[Naveed Yaseen]

The Islamabad High Court here Friday rejected a bail plea of the builder of Margalla Towers that collapsed in October 2005 earthquake.

The Single Bench of Justice Raja Saeed Akram heard the case and rejected bail request of Ramzan Khokhar.

Special Public Prosecutor Syed Tayyab Shah contended that he was the principal accused in the case and had been a fugitive from October 8, 2005 to April 2008.

He argued that being the owner, he did not obtain an NOC from the Capital Development Authority for the construction of the Towers complex.

Furthermore, he leased or sold the apartments and the engineers who inspected the towers after construction had declared these dangerous and the owner knew this fact, Tayyab Shah said.

He said these experts also asked the owner to repair the damaged and weaker parts of the building but he did not convey the advice to the occupants and when the building collapsed, he did not bother to return to Pakistan from abroad and share the responsibility.

Deputy Attorney General Khalid Abbas said that being prime accused in FIR, he did not deserve to be released on bail.

Dr Babar Awan, counsel for the applicant pleaded that he was not at fault and could not be termed main accused.

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