Daily Times

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Monday filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking protective bail in an illegal appointment case.

The Islamabad High Court, on March 31, had granted four-week protective bail to former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former secretary petroleum Arshad Mirza in a reference pertaining to the illegal appointment of managing director Pakistan State Oil (PSO).

Barrister Zafarullah Khan has filed the petition on Abbasi’s behalf. In his plea, Shahid Khaqan stated that NAB Karachi had issued arrest warrants for him, while he is in Islamabad and cannot appear before the accountability court, Karachi, due to lockdown. Khaqan in his plea has requested IHC to grant him pre-arrest bail in NAB case till May 12.

The Accountability Court, Karachi had issued non-bailable warrants for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in a reference pertaining to illegal appointment of managing director PSO. The anti-graft watchdog filed second reference against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the illegal appoint of Imran-ul-Haq as PSO managing director in a Karachi accountability court.

NAB in December last year filed a reference in the accountability court against Mr Abbasi, Mr Ismail, former managing director of the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Sheikh Imranul Haq, former chairman of Ogra Saeed Ahmed Khan, Ogra chairperson Uzma Adil Khan, Engro group chairman Hussain Dawood, former chairman of the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) Agha Jan Akhtar, former member of Ogra Aamir Naseem, another former managing director of PSO Shahid M. Islam and PSO official Abdul Sammad.

Mr Abbasi was arrested in connection with the case in July. He is accused of awarding a 15-year contract for an LNG terminal allegedly when he was petroleum minister in former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had granted bail to Abbasi in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) reference on February 25.

Meanwhile, an accountability court in Lahore on Monday adjourned assets and money laundering case against Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz till May 12.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said in his statement that he is being politically victimized as no reference has been filed against him till date.

The court directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file reference against Hamza Shahbaz in assets case. It is pertinent here to mention that the PML-N leader has been accused of money laundering through his personal employees.