ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Friday said election for chairman Senate would not affect Pakistan Democratic Movement's (PDM) long march scheduled for March 26.

Talking to the media after appearing before an accountability court in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) case, Abbasi said PDM's long march will reach Islamabad on March 30.

When asked about chairman and deputy chairman Senate elections, he said the activities of both voters and candidates are suspicious as elections of upper house have been turned into union council elections, adding that it was inappropriate to ridicule Senate in such a way.

He said there were three contractors present on government benches about which ruling party members said they have joined party after paying huge money to the party for acquiring tickets to contest Senate elections.

"God knows better, how much they have been given to the members," he said, adding these three people were those against whom the present government had made cases in Multan Metro Bus project.

Abbasi said PIT government has leveled allegations of corruption against three people and today they have become senator of the same party. He alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan has obtained billions of rupees from these senators. He said the interference of institutions in politics is continued.

The PML-N leader said PTI did not nominate candidate of Senate chairman from his party, adding Sanjrani became senator after securing 14 votes but he had no party.

About Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi, he said he joined PML-N after wining Senate elections in 2018 as an independent candidate and the record is available with Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Earlier, he and other accused appeared before accountability court-II judge Muhammad Azam Khan in LNG case. The court allowed him and other accused to go after marking their attendance.

Tanveer Iqbal Khan, the counsel for accused former finance minister Miftah Ismail while crossing examining the prosecution witness Muhammad Hassan, an assistant director ministry of petroleum that with which department of the ministry he is working, to which, he told that he works at the policy wing of the ministry.

The witness said it is correct that he was not custodian of the record he produced before investigation officer (IO) of National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The copies of the record which was taken into custody by the IO were related to different directorates, however, most of the documents were related to his directorate, he told.

The witness further said in every directorate, an assistant works as the custodian of record. He said the name of assistant who was the custodian of record in his department is Nasir Idrees but he can not tell about the record of other department.

It is correct that as per my statement recorded by IO under section 161 of CrPC, he added, there is no reference that original record was produced before IO. The defence counsel completed cross examination of the witness and court adjourned hearing of the case till March 16.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021