ISLAMABAD   -     Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and other accused have been summoned  by an Accountability Court (AC) on April 29, on Monday to indict them in a corruption reference pertaining to three rental power projects (RPPs).

During the course of hearing, AC Judge Arshad Malik expressed displeasure over absence of the accused including Pervaiz Ashraf, Abdul Majid and Shaid Rafi.

The accused counsel submitted a request with the court seeking one day exemption from hearing which was accepted by the judge. The court directed the accused to ensure their presence on the next date of hearing and adjourned the case.

It may be mentioned here that the two accused including N A Zubairi and Ghulam Mustafa remained present during the proceeding.

The court will frame charges against accused in three RPPs - Reshma Power Generation (Pvt) Limited, Gulf Rental Power Pvt Ltd and Young Gen Power Ltd.

The RPPs case is about private power companies that faced allegations of having received more than Rs22 billion mobilisation advance from the government to commission the projects but failed to set up the plants. A few of them had set up the plants, but only after an inordinate delay.

Former prime minister Ashraf has also been accused of misusing his authority during his tenure as the minister for water and power to get approval from the Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet for an increase in the down payment to the rental power companies from 7 to 14 per cent, amounting to about Rs22 billion. Zardari to appear before court in fake accounts case ISLAMABAD (APP): An Accountability Court (AC) would conduct hearing today (Tuesday) in mega money laundering and fake accounts case against former president and PPP’s Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and other accused.

Registrar Accountability Court and Assistant Commissioner on Monday held a meeting to review the security arrangements around the judicial complex during the proceedings. It has been decided that no irrelevant person would be allowed to enter judicial complex during hearing and foolproof security arrangements would be ensured in Tuesday in this regard. However, media persons would be given access to the court room.

It may be mentioned that a banking court Karachi had ordered to shift the fake accounts case to Rawalpindi accountability court.

 PAC directs Sindh Govt to submit fresh survey report of CAA land

 ISLAMABAD (APP): The sub-committee of Public Accounts Committee Monday directed the Sindh Revenue Department to submit a fresh survey report regarding demarcation of land owned by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in Karachi within two weeks.

The committee, which met here with Member of the National Assembly Shahida Akhtar Ali in the chair, warned both the CAA and the Sindh Revenue Department of sending the matter to the Federal Investigation Agency or the National Accountability Bureau in case of none-compliance of its directives.

The Auditor General of Pakistan, in its report, had reported anomalies in the demarcation of land owned by the CAA. The CAA officials requested the committee to issue directives to the Sindh Revenue Department for fresh demarcation of the land through Geographic Information System (GIS).

 “We wish that the land dispute between the Civil Aviation Authority and the Sindh Government may be resolved amicably,” Shahida Akhtar Ali observed.

Committee member Iqbal Muhammad Ali asked apart from the Sindh Government, who else was the claimant of the land. “I have heard that Nabil Gabol is also one of  the claimants of this land,” he added. Shahida remarked that a woman named Ayesha was claiming ownership of the land.

A Sindh Revenue Department official said as per their record, a company owned by Capt (r) Abdul Haleem Siddiqui was owner of the land. He requested the committee to send the matter to Survey of Pakistan for fresh survey of the land.

Iqbal Muhammad Ali remarked that demarcation of land for Bahria Town was carried out in no time. “We are aware what is going on,” he added. The audit officials requested that the fresh survey must be time bound.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Landsliding claims three lives in Chitral

ISLAMABAD (APP): Three members of a family were killed as their house was collapsed due to land slide in Chitral on Monday.

According to rescue sources, constant rain landsliding hit the area and in result a house was completely collapsed, a private channel reported. They said in the incident three people buried under the rubble of house, adding the bodies were pulled out with the help of locals.