Co-accused declared absconder in reference against ex-PM Shaukat Aziz

Accountability court seeks report from NAB regarding appearance of former prime minister

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in the federal capital on Wednesday declared co-accused Arif Allauddin an absconder due to not appearance in a reference against former prime minister Shaukat Aziz.

The court also sought a report from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) regarding the appearance of former prime minister before it.

It may be mentioned here that the trial court had given 30 days to Shaukat Aziz to ensure his appearance before it. However, no response has been received from the former premier in this regard.



The court adjourned the case till January 16.

The national corruption watchdog had filed a reference against the former prime minister and others in July this year for illegal appointment of Basharat Hasan Bashir as consultant for Alternative Energy Development Board on an MP-II scale salary package.

In October, the court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Aziz over his continued absence from court hearings.

The appointment of Bashir violated MP scale policy guidelines and the board’s regulations not employing open competition. Bashir was awarded consultancy retrospectively back in 2006.