ISLAMABAD -  The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a petition seeking court directives to the National Accountability Bureau to probe the alleged corruption of Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad.

IHC judge Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb reserved the judgment after hearing arguments. Three lawyers of Islamabad had filed the petition against Fawad requesting the court to direct the NAB to probe how a person of an underprivileged background and a resident of Rawalpindi became a billionaire, who also owns a plaza in the Saddar area.

Three petitioners, Khurram Mahmood, Sabir Ahmed and Tufail Shahzad, had cited the NAB, MNA Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar, Fawad, Waqar Hassan, the brother of Fawad, Chaudhary Qamar and Gul Zareen Khan as respondents.

The petitioners had contended that information has circulated that Fawad in collaboration with his brother Waqar Hassan, Qamar Chaudhary and Gul Zareen has constructed a huge commercial project in the heart of a commercial area in Rawalpindi.

They said that it has been reported that the 9 to a 10-storey building was owned by Fawad and his brother while obtaining a loan from a commercial building using their influence. The petitioners had contended that a grade-21 officer has constructed a building valuing over Rs12 billion which needed a probe to ascertain the means and resources for the project.

“In December 2016, Capt (retd) Safdar raised a question on the floor of the National Assembly on the integrity of Fawad. Yet, the NAB took no action despite serious allegations against Fawad,” said the petitioners.

They had said that there were strict regulations by the State Bank of Pakistan to provide loans to construction projects. Moreover, the said bank has not provided financing facility to any other builder in the twin cities except for Fawad that indicates that influence has been used to get the loan for the project.

They maintained that Fawad and his brother secured a plot opposite GPO Saddar Rawalpindi in exchange from Gul Zareen for a residential plot on Haider Road on certain promises and without any cash payment of the total amount. According to the petitioners, the NAB should probe that what were the terms of exchange and what promises were made to Gul Zareen. And it needs to be ensured that no detriment was caused to the national exchequer in a direct or indirect manner by the government functionary who is party to this agreement directly. The petitioners said that Qamar Chaudhary was a guarantor to the agreement who is a local developer.

They said that there were several other allegations against Fawad as he had been gifted with several squares of land in Okara, has shares in New City project Taxila and shares in Lahore Motorway City project etc. His involvement in the JS and Sprint Energy scandal regarding CNG stations was also pending for the probe.  They said that a government servant has constructed over Rs12 billion worth plaza in Rawalpindi but the NAB was silent.

They maintained that Fawad was raised in a humble locality of Dheri Hassanabad in Rawalpindi and his brothers are his ‘benamdars’ and have no means to justify the Rs12 billion project.

The petitioners had also filed applications to the NAB on April 22 but no action has been taken.  They had prayed to the court to direct the NAB to probe the allegations against Fawad.