ISLAMABAD, 9 March 2005 — Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday canceled bail for a government minister standing trial for allegedly defaulting on a loan from a state-owned bank, officials said.
Sources yesterday said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had sent a message to Faisal Saleh Hayat, who is minister for Northern Areas and Kashmir, suggesting he should resign in the light of the top court ruling.
However, sources close to Hayat said he would talk to President Pervez Musharraf before deciding what to do.
Government officials said Hayat had left for London a couple of weeks ago — a day before the Supreme Court began hearing the case — apparently after getting a hint his bail in the case may be canceled. Hayat’s spokesman Jehangir Lodhi said a copy of the Supreme Court’s decision was faxed to Hayat.
