An accountability court in the federal capital dismissed National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) request seeking arrest warrants for the former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to travel abroad.

The development came during the hearing of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal Project corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau. In the reference, the anti-graft watchdog has accused Abbasi of being involved in the award of LNG Terminal-I contract to M/s EETPL at Port Qasim in Karachi, at exorbitant rates.

In today's hearing, Abbasi's counsel Barisster Zafarullah Khan submitted a request seeking an exemption from a personal appearance in court for his client. The NAB prosecutor said Abbasi travelled abroad without taking permission. However, the defense counsel maintained that his client travelled abroad after a sub-committee of the federal cabinet granted a one-time waiver. The accountability court sought details of the waiver. After it was presented in the court, the bench dismissed NAB's plea to issue arrest warrants.