ISLAMABAD - Adviser to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan on Tuesday stepped down from his position following his implication in the Nandipur Power Project corruption scam by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

In his resignation submitted to Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader said that he has resigned from his post so that no one could raise finger at him or his party for using any sort of pressure or influence in the case.

“I will prove my innocence in the court as an ordinary person and that is why he has resigned from his post,” he said.

In his hand-written resignation, Babar says, “I am resigning as adviser to PM so as to prove baseless allegations of NAB wrong.”

Babar stated that the rule of law should begin from him, adding that he is not one of those who remain stuck to their positions and face references.

In his tweet he said: “Just reached PM House to tender my resignation from Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. Rule of Law begins with me. Thank you, Insafians for standing by me always. I will never let you down.”

The resignation came after National Accountability Bureau on Tuesday filed a corruption reference against Zaheeruddin Babar Awan, Raja Pervez Ashraf and others over delay in Nandipur Power Project which caused a loss of Rs27 billion to the national kitty.

The NAB Rawalpindi Bureau filed the corruption reference in the Islamabad accountability court.

Last week, a NAB investigation team had summoned Babar Awan and investigated him for more than four hours in the case.

The Supreme Court constituted a commission headed by Justice (r) Rahmat Hussain Jafferi with the task to determine the responsibility of delaying the Nandipur Power Project.

The commission conducted inquiry by examining the record as well as witnesses and submitted its report on 9th April, 2012. The commission report held the officials and officers of Ministry of Law and Justice responsible for the delay. Thereafter, Ministry of Water and Power referred the matter to National Accountability Bureau in the light of the report of judicial commission.

Nandipur Power Project was approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on December 27, 2007 with an estimated cost of $329 million. After approval, the contract was signed on January 01, 2008 between Northern Power Generation Company Limited (NPGCL) and Dong Fang Electric Corporation (DEC), China and two consortiums COFACE for Euro 68.967 million and Sinosure for $150.151 million were established for the financing of the project.

The Ministry of Water and Power approached the Ministry of Law to issue the legal opinion as per schedule of agreement on July 2009 but both in connivance with each other and with mala fide intentions repeatedly refused to issue the legal opinion on flimsy grounds. Furthermore, the Ministry of Water and Power also failed to take any concrete measures to resolve the issue and the matter remained pending.

However, after the change in guards at the Ministry of Law, when minister Babar Awan was replaced the same legal opinion was issued. After more than two years, this inordinate and mala fide delay caused a loss of Rs27 billion approximately to the national exchequer.

During the course of investigation, it was established that accused in connivance with each other failed to exercise their authority and thus caused a loss of Rs27,292.94 million to the national kitty. Hence committed the offence (s) of corruption and corrupt practices, as defined u/s 9 (a) (vi) and (xii) read with Sr.5 of Schedule Offences of NAO, 1999 as they failed to exercise their authority to save the national interest

Babar Awan has been federal minister for law and justice in the PPP government. Raja Pervez Ashraf also served as federal minister for water and power during PPP regime. Former secretary Ministry of Law and Justice Muhammad Masood Chishti and others have also been named in the reference.

 

 

Babar Awan resigns as PM adviser