Sh Rashid moves NAB against PM, Capt Safdar

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Awami Muslim League (AML) Sheikh Rashid Ahmad Wednesday submitted his complaint against Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on the import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Qatar to Chairman National Accountability Bureau Justice (R) Javed Iqbal.

Earlier, Sheikh Rashid had filed a petition before the Supreme Court for the disqualification of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi under articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution by declaring the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) contracts reached under his watch illegal and unlawful but the apex court had dismissed his petition with direction to approach the appropriate forum.

On Wednesday, Sheikh Rashid approached NAB and submitted his application to Chairman NAB Justice (R) Javed Iqbal who assured him that it would be examined as per law.

In his application, Sheikh Rashid states that Abbasi awarded the LNG import contract in 2015 without observing transparency in the bidding process and seeks a probe into the LNG import contracts claiming that they were commissioned in violation of rules.

Besides submitting the application against the prime minister for the import of LNG from Qatar, AML chief also submitted application against Captain (R) Muhammad Safdar allegedly for issuance of Rs9 billion for the development projects without PC-1 through Cabinet Division.

In his complaint, he stated that the Finance Ministry was reluctant to investigate the matter and even Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah has also written four letters to Cabinet Division but not received any response of these letters.

He pleaded in his complaint that it should be investigated that how and where the development funds of Rs9 billion were spent and who gave approval to release these funds.

Chairman NAB, while receiving the complaint, assured the complainant that the complaint would be examined as per law and according to rules and procedure.

Later talking to newsmen after filing the applications in the NAB, Sheikh Rashid claimed he had done half of the work for the Bureau as he had also attached evidence of the Rs200 billion scandal.

He claimed that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had decided to launch an assault against the Supreme Court chief justice and NAB chairman and now they are searching for evidence to launch a movement against the NAB chairman. “They can do whatever they want but will fail in their plans," the AML chief said, adding that he will strike the last nail in the coffin of their politics,” he said.