LHC refers Haqqani case to accountability court in Pindi

LHC disposes Haqqani's petition against the inclusion of his name in the list of NRO beneficiaries, refers case.

LAHORE: A division bench of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday disposed a petition of Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan ambassador to the US, against inclusion of his name in the list of National Reconciliation Ordinance’s beneficiaries and referred the case to an accountability court of Rawalpindi. The bench headed by Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif directed the accountability court to decide whether Haqqani’s name should be on the list or not.

On November 3, the bench had reserved its verdict after hearing from NAB, FIA and the petitioner’s counsel. Earlier, an investigation officer of the FIA, Khalid Mehmood, appeared before the bench and told the court that he had declared Haqqani guilty after finding irregularities in the grant of cable televisions licences. The NAB counsel, however, said that the then NAB deputy prosecutor general had dropped the investigation. He added that Haqqani’s name was included in the list by mistake.

Haqqani’s counsel had submitted that the petitioner never benefitted from the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). He submitted that the NAB had never initiated any reference against the ambassador. The three cases filed against him by the bureau were filed in 1999. The Lahore High Court had released his client on bail after 79 days in detention, said Haqqani’s counsel.

He further said the Sindh High Court had quashed the FIR in one of the cases whereas the other case was dropped by the investigation agency after it failed to find any evidence. The third case never reached the stage of prosecution and as such there was no question of Haqqani been given any relief under the NRO, the counsel told the court. The ambassador’s counsel requested that Haqqani’s name be removed from the list of NRO beneficiaries. Haqqani, through his counsel, also moved an application requesting that the NAB be directed to place on record all the alleged cases against him.

On October 7, the NAB had submitted record of cases against Haqqani and the order which exonerated him later. It was stated that irregularities in granting cable television licences were investigated by the NAB and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. However, after her death, the proceedings against her were withdrawn.

It was further stated that the investigation was initiated before October 12, 1999 and was terminated after the promulgation of the NRO in 2007. The law ministry had also told the court that the name of the petitioner was included in the list accidentally.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2010.