Arrest warrant for Shaukat Aziz issued

ISLAMABAD: An Accountability Court on Thursday issued arrest warrant for former prime minister Shaukat Aziz for exceeding his powers and causing losses to the national exchequer.

Accountability Court judge Arshad Malik issued the warrants over Aziz's continuous absence from court proceedings. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a corruption reference against the former premier and others in July this year. Aziz served as the prime minister of Pakistan from August 2004 to November 2007.

The court approved a petition filed by Liaquat Jatoi, Ismail Korai, Shahid Hamid and Naseem Akhtar seeking exemption from appearing before it. However, it expressed displeasure over the absence of other nominated accused. The court also issued arrest warrants for accused Arifuddin over continuous absence. The hearing was later adjourned until November 1.