Corruption case: Ex-NLC head seeks restoration of earlier court decision

LHC has suspended its decision in favour of Maj Gen (retd) Zaheer Akhtar.

RAWALPINDI: Major-Gen (retd) Khalid Zaheer Akhtar, former director-general of the National Logistics Cell (NLC), on Monday asked the Lahore High Court (LHC)’s Rawalpindi bench to restore its earlier decision against his dismissal from the army.

Advocate Wasif Khan, representing Akhtar, asked the division bench that it on December 28, 2015 suspended the court’s earlier decision against dismissal of Akhtar from the army without hearing his client.

The division bench, comprising Justice Aminud Din Khan and Justice Masud Abid Naqvi, however put off hearing till March 10 in the intra-court appeal (ICA) of the application filed by the Ministry of Defence. The ministry has appealed against the decision given earlier in favour of the former NLC director general.

The division bench had suspended the verdict of Justice Ibadur Rehman Lodhi given on December 23, 2015.

The order of Justice Lodhi had set aside the orders of the COAS concerning dismissal of Akhtar from the army for his alleged involvement in the NLC corruption case.

In his earlier petition, the former NLC director general had maintained that he was dismissed from the army after his retirement, and through administrative orders.

He said that the military authorities did not carry out his trial before dismissing him from service and taking away all retirement benefits.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2016.