Court orders to initiate process for declaring three accused in Ashiana-e-Iqbal scam as Pos

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court Thursday ordered initiating the process of declaring Kamran Kayani, Khalid Hussain and Nadeem Zia as proclaimed offenders (POs) in connection with Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing scam.

Accountability Court Judge Syed Najamul Hassan conducted the case proceedings, wherein senior bureaucrat Fawad Hassan Fawad and other accused were produced.

At the outset of the proceedings, a reply was submitted on behalf of Superintendent Kot Lakhpat Jail wherein it was stated that Shehbaz Sharif was lodged in a sub-jail in Islamabad and a medical board had advised him bed rest.

The court was further told that medical board would review Shehbaz's medical treatment progress today (January 10) whereas the case was also fixed for the same date. The court was requested for issuance of necessary directions in this regard.

To which, Shehbaz's counsel Amjad Pervez submitted that if medical board permitted then he had no objection on producing Shehbaz Sharif in the court.

However, NAB Prosecutor Waris Janjua argued that the matter was being delayed as the same facts were told on the last hearing.

At this stage, a police inspector told the court that raids were conducted to arrest Kamran Kayani, Khalid Hussain and Nadeem Zia after issuance of their arrest warrants on the last hearing, but their houses were found locked.

Upon this, the NAB prosecutor pleaded with the court to issue directions for initiating the process of declaring the accused as proclaimed offenders.

The court, after hearing arguments of all parties, ordered for initiating the process of declaring Kamran Kayani, Khalid Hussain and Nadeem Zia as proclaimed offenders.

The court directed for publication of notices in newspapers, directing the accused to appear in the court till February 11.

The court also ordered for producing Shehbaz Sharif on the next date of hearing, while adjourning the matter till January 24.

If the said accused fail to appear in the court despite publication of notices in newspapers, it would result in seizure of their properties and issuance of further warrants.

On December 22, NAB had filed a supplementary reference against PML-N President and Chairman Public Accounts Committee Shehbaz Sharif and 12 others in the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing case.

The former principal secretary, Fawad Hassan Fawad, Nadeem Zia, Kamran Kayani, Munir Zia, Khalid Hussain, Ali Sajid, Shahid Chaudhry and others are the nominated accused in the reference.

The supplementary reference comprises more than thousand pages and is spread over three volumes.

The NAB had accused Shehbaz Sharif of misusing his authority which resulted in failure of the project, depriving 61,000 applicants of the housing units. NAB alleged that Shehbaz Sharif, in connivance with former DG LDA Ahad Cheema, awarded the contract to a proxy.

The NAB had already filed a reference against Cheema and five others over their alleged role in Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing scam.