An accountability court in Islamabad cancelled its non-bailable arrest warrants issued earlier on Tuesday for PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and others in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) reference, a private TV channel reported. Accountability Judge Nasir Javed Rana issued the directives earlier in the day after the ex-prime minister failed to appear before the court. Later, Abbasi’s lawyer Zafarullah filed a request to cancel the warrants. Accepting the request, the court cancelled the former prime minister and ex-Ogra chairperson Uzma Adil Khan’s warrants. Abbasi, ex-finance minister Miftah Ismail, former managing director Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Sheikh Imranul Haq, ex-Ogra chairpersons Saeed Ahmed Khan and Uzma Adil Khan, Engro Group chairman Hussain Dawood, former chairman PQA Agha Jan Akhtar, ex-member Ogra Aamir Naseem, former managing director PSO Shahid M. Islam and PSO official Abdul Sammad were nominated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the reference.
The reference alleged that one LNG company had received benefits of over Rs21 billion because of the contract. The reference claimed that the national exchequer would suffer a Rs47bn loss by 2029 if the contract in question continued. Abbasi has termed these charges “defective”.
In the previous hearing, the court reserved its verdict on the acquittal pleas of Abbasi and others named in the case after the NAB prosecutor said that since the amendment to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) had ousted the jurisdiction of NAB from such matters, the court could issue an appropriate order.
He had, however, opposed the acquittal request.
During the hearing, the court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Abbasi and co-accused Uzma Adil for failing to appear before the court and not seeking an exemption for attendance. It also instructed the counsels of the accused to present their arguments at the next proceedings and adjourned the hearing till March 14.
