March 11, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1429

LAHORE, March 10: An accountability court on Monday acquitted six politicians and a bureaucrat under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) promulgated by President Pervez Musharraf.

They are PPP Secretary-General Jahangir Badr, ex-minister Mushtaq Awan and principal secretary to Benazir Bhutto Ahmad Sadiq, former chairman of Lahore District Council Chaudhry Zulfiqar, ex-MNAs Chaudhry Shaukat Ali and Haji Kabir and former Punjab chief secretary Javed Qureshi.

Entertaining several petitions, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Nawaz Abbasi and Justice Shakirullah Jan had stayed the operation of the NRO on Oct 12, 2007. After Nov 3, when the judiciary took a fresh oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO), a bench headed by Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar had quashed the stay order against the ordinance and restored the authority of the courts to hear cases under it.

Filing applications for acquittal, all the accused said the NAB references against them were liable to be discarded on the basis of the NRO.

The NAB had in 2003 filed a reference against Jahangir Badr, accusing him of acquiring assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during his stint as a federal minister. Another reference against Badr for misuse of his office was still pending.

The bureau filed another reference against Mushtaq Awan and his brother Ishtiaq Awan in 2002, accusing them of causing Rs75 million loss to the Sheikhupura District Council by awarding an illegal octroi contract. Proceedings against Mushtaq's brother were adjourned till March 18.

Ahmad Sadiq was also charged with acquiring assets beyond his known sources of income.

Chaudhry Shaukat Ali and others were accused of buying 321 kanals in 1991 for Rs20 million after forging documents and later selling it to the Rural Development Authority.

The NAB had accused Haji Kabir of conniving with Ameer Nawaz, Javed Qureshi and Shaukat Ali and embezzling Rs350 million from the Lahore District Council's funds. Chaudhry Zulfiqar was also accused of misappropriating money from the district council's funds in the same reference. —Reporter