The Islamabad High Court (IHC) extended on Thursday the interim bail of former president Asif Ali Zardari till November 9 in the New York City property cases.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aamer Farooq heard the pre-arrest bail case of the former president.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) accused Zardari of holding an apartment in New York City, which he had not declared.

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The bench also sought an opinion from Zardari's legal team and NAB's prosecutor regarding the new amendment in NAB Ordinance.

The court asked whether the bail cases would be shifted to the special courts after the promulgation of the new ordinance.

The court instructed the prosecutor to study the new ordinance, and also brief the NAB investigation officer about it.

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Justice Aamer Farooq asked whether the powers of NAB for arresting the accused were withdrawn after the passage of the fresh ordinance. To this, the former president’s counsel Farooq H Naek responded by saying that that the new amendments had increased the powers of the anti-graft body.

Now the names of the accused would be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), he said.

The court adjourned the hearing of the case till November 9. The court also granted a one-day exemption from hearing to the accused on medical grounds.