KARACHI, March 11: The Sindh High Court on Friday issued the National Accountability Bureau and others notices in a writ petition moved to seek bail and other reliefs for Begum Salma Ahmed, a former member of the National Assembly, for March 16.
The detainee, who is also chairperson of Pakistan Association of Women Entrepreneurs, is accused of misappropriating Rs 13.3 million received by her from the Export Promotion Bureau for establishment of a fashion design technology centre at Clifton by Pawe. The centre had not so far been set up and the plot reserved for it housed a school running on commercial basis.
Petitioner Akbar Hussain, brother of the accused, and his counsel, Rasheed A. Razvi, said the structure raised for establishing the proposed centre was demolished by the Karachi Building Control Authority as being violative of the building rules. A huge amount was thus wasted and the Pawe instituted a suit against the KBCA. The matter is under litigation and a new design was planned to be submitted to the authority.
The ex-MNA, the petition said, also explained her position to the EPB, which lodged a complaint with the NAB in 2000. The matter at worst involved civil liability and obligations under a contract signed in 1994. The obligations were being determined by the civil courts and the petitioner prayed that the criminal reference made by the NAB should be quashed. Advocate Razvi pressed for grant of bail as an immediate relief in the circumstances of the case.
A division bench, comprising Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Azizullah M. Memon, issued notices to the NAB deputy prosecutor-general and other respondents for March 16.
