ISLAMABAD – An Accountability Court in Islamabad Tuesday summoned formerminister for water and power, Khawaja Asif for testimony in Nandipur PowerProject reference.
AC-II Judge Arshad Malik conducted hearing on a reference filed by NABregarding loss worth Rs 27 billion due to delay in project execution andsummoned the duo on March 21st.
The court had already indicted former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf,ex-law minister Baber Awan and others as accused, though they all pleadednot guilty to the charges.
During the hearing on Tuesday, the first prosecution witnesses and sectionofficer Ministry of Water and Power Muhammad Naeem appeared before thecourt and sought a ten-day time to record his statement and to collect somerecord.
At this request, Baber Awan pleaded that the witness had nothing to presentagainst the accused and the court had already given six days to theprosecution to produce witnesses and evidence.
However, Naeem said that he was not a witness against Baber Awan rather hewas a record custodian.
Upon this, the NAB prosecutor requested the judge to grant some time aswitness wanted to arrange the documents to be produced before the court.
Hearing the arguments from both sides, the court granted two days time tothe witness and observed that the court would start testimony on nexthearing.
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NAB prosecutor suggested the court to first summon two former ministers fortestimony who were also prosecution witnesses.
Babar Awan, however, objected to summoning the minister and argued thatKhawaja Asif and Naveed Qamar had been accused of NAB references.
“The prosecution wanted to present his political rivals as its witnessesagainst him,” Babar pleaded.
During the hearing Baber Awan and NAB prosecutor exchanged heated remarks,however, Judge Arshad Malik intervened and remarked that this was not acode of conduct for a courtroom.
Former prime minister Pervaiz Ashraf, ex-secretary Shahid Rafi and ex-jointsecretary Riaz Mehmood skipped today’s hearing.
