ISLAMABAD - Eight senior and junior officials of the NAB are among the list of 28 witnesses against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the corruption reference filed against him in the accountability court regarding the accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income, The Nation has learnt.
According to documents available with The Nation, besides the eight NAB officers, a number of officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), the National Assembly, the Federal Investigation Agency and different banks are among the 28 witnesses against Dar in the corruption reference.
According to the documents available, the NAB has written letters to the witnesses, who belong to different government institutions and banks, to submit the required details regarding the case against Dar.
The NAB has told a witness through a letter, “you are the prosecution witness in the subject reference, hence it is requested to be available for recording of evidence along with necessary record”. The notice has been issued by the officer in-charge of the “Witness Handling Cell” of the NAB. Sources said that several witnesses have submitted the required record about Dar and his family to the NAB.
According to the documents, NAB eight senior and junior officers — Shakeel Anjum Nagra Additional Director (Coordination) Operations Division, NAB Headquarters Islamabad; Umar Draz Gondal, Sub-Inspector Police Station NAB Lahore; Zafar Iqbal Mufti, Banking Expert Nab Lahore; Muhammad Adeel Akhtar, Assistant Director NAB Lahore; Zavar Manzoor, Assistant Director NAB Lahore; Iqbal Hassan, Deputy Director NAB Lahore; Obaid Simon, Assistant Director NAB Lahore, and Nadir Abbasi Assistant Director/Investigation Officer NAB Lahore — are the witnesses in the reference against Dar.
Well-placed sources told The Nation that Nadir Abbasi was also the Investigation Officer in the Dar case while Umraz Draz Gondal served the NAB summons on Dar and the ousted prime minister’s residences in Islamabad and Lahore.
The Joint Investigation Team head in the Panama Papers case and FIA Additional Director Wajid Zia’s name is also among the list of witnesses.
According to the witnesses list, 12 officers of different government departments including Saeed Ahmed Khan, Deputy Director ECP Islamabad; Wasif Hussain, Deputy Secretary Cabinet Division Islamabad; Qamar Zaman, Director Ministry of Commerce; Sher Dil Khan, Director Budget National Assembly Secretariat; Shahid Aziz Khan, National Investment Trust Blue Area Islamabad; Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan, Commissioner Inland Revenue Zone-V Corporate Regional Tax Office Lahore; Muhammad Naeem, Excise and Taxation Officer Motor Registration Authority Lahore; Mirza Faziur Rehman, Deputy Director LDA Johar Town Lahore; Niaz Subhani, Assistant Excise and Taxation Model Town Lahore; Ali Akbar Bhinder, Assistant Commissioner Tehsil Raiwind Lahore; Syed Qaboos Aziz, Director Operations NADRA Headquarters Islamabad; Muhammad Azhar Hussain, District Officer Industries Price Weights and Measures government of Punjab Lahore are also the witnesses in the reference.
Interestingly, the NADRA terminated Director Operations Syed Qaboos just two days after he submitted the record about Dar and his family members to the anti-corruption watchdog, and the NADRA appointed a new officer as a focal person.
Five representatives of different banks including Tariq Javeed, Senior Vice-President Area head Al-Baraka Bank Gulberg Branch Lahore; Abdul Rehman Gondal, Branch Manager Allied Bank Limited Parliament House Branch Islamabad; Faisal Shahzad, Branch Grade HBML Edgerton Road Branch Lahore, and Masood Ul Ghani, Manager Operations HBL Q Block branch Islamabad, will also appeared before the accountability court as witnesses in the reference against Dar.
Muhammad Azeem Khan, Manager Operations BALF Gulberg Lahore and Inamul Haq, Project Director Alflah Corporation Housing Society Lahore, are also among the NAB’s list of witnesses.
NOKHAIZ SAHI
