Lahore High Court stays proceedings against Minister Faisal
Pakistan Times Staff Report

LAHORE: Chief Justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry of Lahore High Court has stayed the proceedings of a reference pending against Federal Minister for Tribal Areas and Kashmir Affairs Faisal Saleh Hayat before an accountability court in Lahore on the charges of wilful default.

The court further issued notice to Punjab’s Regional Accountability Bureau for March-28.

The court made this order while taking up the transfer application filed by the Minister under NAB Ordinance 1999, praying the transfer of the trial of his reference to another accountability court.

The Minister and nine members of his family are accused of wilfully defaulting on a loan of Rs 241.07 million, which they allegedly acquired in the name of Shah Jewna Textile Mills in 1991.

Currently the accountability court of Rana Zahid Mehmood is adjudicating the reference against the Minister and his family members.

Faisal Saleh Hayat had moved an application for his acquittal and had sought his exemption from appearance. However, the trail court had ordered interior ministry to put his name on the ECL.

Plea by Faisal

Faisal alleged that by passing such order and directing the interior ministry to place the names of applicants on the ECL indicated the partiality of the trial judge.

The other petitioners include: Faisal’s mother Begum Parveen Hayyat, Shahida Faisal, Maj (R) Jahangir Khan, Haider Khan, Fauzia Haider, Durdanan Shah and Javaid Shah.

Faisal said the conciliation committee constituted by State Bank’s governor had settled the matter of re-payment of Rs 240 million loan.

The petitioner along with the transfer application has moved an application seeking direction for stopping the proceedings of the trial court.

Petition against ex-Speaker NA dismissed

Meanwhile, a full bench of the Supreme Court Friday dismissed a petition filed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against former Speaker National Assembly, Yousaf Raza Gillani for the cancellation of his bail in a NAB reference and declared it infructuous.

The bench of the apex Court comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui, Justice Javed Iqbal and Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar dismissed the appeal against the decision of the Lahore High Court terming it infructuous.

Yousaf Raza Gillani has already been awarded punishment by the Accountability Court in the reference for giving employment to hundreds of people in the National Assembly Secretariat as Speaker of the Assembly.

The appeal of Yousaf Raza Gillani is already pending now in the Lahore High Court against the decision of the Accountability Court.●