Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. PHOTO: FILE
The two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi and Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi turned down the appeal filed by Ashraf against a single bench order passed by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on March 28.
The single bench had suspended Rs9.576 billion worth of contracts awarded to the National Logistics Cell (NLC) for the construction of roads in Ashraf’s constituency of Gujjar Khan and Chakwal districts (NA-51) for violating Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules. Funds for the project were released by the Pakistan Public Works Department.
The former prime minister argued in his petition that the single bench had passed the order without hearing his point of view, which falls under his fundamental rights protected under Article 10-A of the Constitution.
Waseem Sajjad and former law minister Farook H Naek, counsels for Ashraf, argued that the federal government could assign any project to any official executing agency and that the NLC is an efficient government organisation which has previously executed similar projects in the country.
Sajjad said that the former prime minister had awarded the contract to NLC in the public interest and not just for the benefit of NA-51. He argued that the bench had used very harsh language against Ashraf.
In its order the single bench had declared that the project assigned to the NLC was “a glaring example of discrimination, favouritism and ulterior motives to advance a personal agenda”.
Earlier, Justice Siddiqui referred the bench’s 46-page judgment to the chief election commissioner to determine whether, in light of the judgment, Ashraf “can be believed as sagacious, righteous, honest, upright, trustworthy and Ameen.” The judgment was also sent to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Published in The Express Tribune, April 9th, 2013.
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