Court grants interim bail to co-accused in Laiba Ijaz case

An Islamabad district and sessions court has granted interim bail to Nahar Muhammad, a co-accused in the case involving the alleged suicide of university student Laiba Ijaz following an alleged education fraud.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka heard the bail application and approved the relief until October 20 against surety bonds worth Rs20,000.

The court also issued notices to the parties and directed them to present their arguments at the next hearing.

Nahar appeared before the court alongside his lawyers. His counsel argued that he was innocent and had been deliberately implicated in the case.

The case concerns allegations that Laiba, a gold medalist in a bachelor’s degree programme at the International Islamic University Islamabad, was defrauded of money in connection with plans to pursue higher education in the United States.

Her family has alleged that an education consultant demanded Rs7 million by promising admission to an American university. The family later discovered that the admission documents were allegedly fake.

According to the family, Laiba had hoped to continue her education in the United States and had sought the consultant’s services to secure admission.

Her father, who sold milk on a motorcycle to support his children’s education, allegedly sold his personal plot to arrange the money. He paid Rs2.1 million in advance to the consultant, while Laiba’s mother reportedly pledged her jewellery at a bank to help arrange the remaining amount.

The family said the documents were found to be fake when they were verified through the relevant sources.

Following the alleged fraud’s discovery, Laiba suffered severe emotional distress, according to her family. She reportedly sent a final message to her maternal uncle, asking him not to tell her father about the alleged fraud.

The investigation into the case is ongoing.