LHC expresses anger over senior counsel's absence in Moonis Elahi assets case

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday expressed displeasure over the absence of senior counsel during the hearing of a petition filed by Qaisara Elahi challenging the freezing of her son Moonis Elahi's assets and the decision declaring him a proclaimed offender

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jun, 2026) The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday expressed displeasure over the absence of senior counsel during the hearing of a petition filed by Qaisara Elahi challenging the freezing of her son Moonis Elahi's assets and the decision declaring him a proclaimed offender.

A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Aalia Neelum heard the case. Qaisara Elahi had filed the petition on behalf of her son, Moonis Elahi.

During the proceedings, NAB was represented by prosecutors Waris Ali Janjua and Fatima Shahid Advocate.

An associate counsel informed the court that the senior lawyer was busy in Islamabad and requested an adjournment. The request drew a sharp response from Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, who remarked, "You should begin your arguments. According to the case file, you are also a senior lawyer. Produce the cause list and explain which court Amir Saeed Rawn is appearing before."

The associate counsel replied that Amir Saeed Rawn was attending proceedings of the Pakistan Bar Council. The Chief Justice observed that such an excuse was unacceptable, remarking, "This is highly inappropriate. Court proceedings cannot be halted because of bar-related matters.

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The Chief Justice further inquired whether the petitioner herself was an accused in the case. Counsel replied that she was the mother of the accused.

The chief justice then questioned how a petitioner could seek relief on behalf of a proclaimed offender, observing that the Supreme Court had already laid down clear principles regarding the rights of proclaimed offenders. She asked counsel to identify any precedent where a proclaimed offender had been granted the relief being sought through such a petition.

Counsel reiterated that the senior advocate would argue the matter. The court observed that such conduct was contributing to the growing backlog of pending cases in the judiciary.

Following the proceedings, the bench adjourned the hearing indefinitely.

According to the petition, Moonis Elahi is residing abroad and has been implicated in cases. It further states that an application challenging the freezing of his assets had earlier been dismissed by the accountability court.

The petition requests the Lahore High Court to set aside the accountability court's orders freezing Moonis Elahi's assets and declaring him a proclaimed offender.