NAB told to produce record showing Haqqani got NRO relief

LHC directs NAB to produce the order on the basis of which Hussain Haqqani was exonerated from corruption cases.

LAHORE: Lahore High Court’s (LHC) division bench directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday to produce the order on the basis of which Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, was exonerated from corruption cases.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif was hearing a petition filed by Haqqani seeking removal of his name from National Reconciliation Order (NRO) beneficiaries.

The court also allowed the petitioner’s civil miscellaneous application seeking direction for the NAB to place on record all the material in the cases allegedly pending against him. The next date of hearing is September 28.

At a prior hearing, the Law Ministry had told the court that the petitioner’s name was mistakenly included in the NRO beneficiaries’ list.In 1999, NAB filed three cases against Haqqani alleging misuse of power. He was released on bail by the LHC after 70 days in detention.

Haqqani said that the FIR in one of the cases was quashed by the Sindh High Court. The second case, he said, was dropped by the investigating agency due to its failure to obtain any evidence. The final case, according to the petitioner, never reached the prosecution stage in ten years. He said there was no question of requesting any relief under the NRO.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2010.