LAHORE - A Lahore High Court Division Bench Wednesday directed the NAB authorities to submit record on September 23 pertaining to the criminal reference against former PML-N MPA Sohail Zia Butt wherein he was convicted to three years of jail by an Accountability Court in 2001. During the court proceedings, the counsel for NAB Mian Bashir advocate submitted that record of the reference in question had yet to be traced out since a huge material was lying in the office. However, he said, efforts were on to locate the same. Ehtasham Qadir Advocate, counsel for Butt, rejecting the plea of the NAB counsel said that the NAB was misstating before the court that the reference's record had perhaps lost. He pleaded that the NAB made a bogus and fabricated reference against his client only to victimise him on the instructions from the then military regime of Pervez Musharraf, therefore the NAB was reluctant to show the record to the court. He requested the bench to go through the record of the case to see how much fabricated reference was made against his client. Upon this, the bench sought record of the case on the next date of hearing. The bench comprising Justice Ch Iftikhar Hussain and Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar was hearing a bail petition and appeal of Sohail Zia Butt against his three years conviction in 2001 by an Accountability Court of Lahore in a NAB reference. On September 3, the Accountability Court had re-invoked the 2001 conviction against Butt when he was taken into custody by NAB after his arrest near Kalma Chowk on September 1 against the warrants issued on January 12, 2001 by Accountability Court, for his non-appearance despite repeated notices. The reference filed during the regime of Pervez Musharraf accused Butt of 'embezzling' Rs2 million which he allegedly received from National Industrial Finance Corporation (NIFC) under a deal to get Ahmad Mansion, The Mall, evacuated from the illegal occupants which he failed to honour. On the complaint of the Executive Officer of the Corporation, the reference was framed against Butt by the NAB. Pleading the matter for Butt, advocate Ehtasham Qadir said before the court that his client was facing no charges of corruption which fell in the ambience of NAB law. He said it was known to everyone that Butt was not in the country since May 13, 2000 as such no question of his receiving the notice or appearance before the court and whatever reports with respect to him were prepared by the NAB in that course were unauthentic and bogus and aimed at victimising him. He said the alleged contract was between the two parties and any breach thereto did not amount to corruption or embezzlement of public money. Hence the conviction as well as arrest warrants of his client were void of legal strength. Questioning bonafide of the NAB reference and conviction thereon, he said, his client has been in Pakistan over the last two and half years and attended a number of public events and took part in the election campaign of his son, but the NAB authorities did not take action against him following the warrants in question and now had acted with malafide intention. Data Darbar attacks suo moto plea adjourned The Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khawaja Sharif Wednesday adjourned till October 16 the hearing on a suo moto case of the twin suicide attacks on Data Darbar. The CJ issued this order after police officers appearing before the court requested for more time to apprehend the culprits involved in the incident. SSP Investigation Zulfiqar Hameed, CIA SPUmar Virk and SP Ijaz appeared before the court, which held in camera proceedings. On previous hearing, the CJ also had held in-chamber proceedings on the request of additional advocate general Hanif Khatana wherein police high-ups appeared and apprise about progress in the investigation of the incident. In previous hearings, the court was informed that DNA test report of remains and parts of dead bodies collected from place of incident were examined and with the help of these reports, they were trying to get clues of the culprits. The court had already been informed that police got some clue of the criminals involved in the suicide attacks but could not be revealed due to sensitivity. It was told the court that a special investigation team comprising officials of ISI, MI and Special Branch was making effective efforts for nabbing real culprits.