Former PM Ashraf indicted in rental power case

Published January 17, 2014
Talking to media persons, after the hearing, the former prime minister belonging to the Pakistan People Party  (PPP)said that he could not comment on the issue as it was sub-judice. — File Photo
Talking to media persons, after the hearing, the former prime minister belonging to the Pakistan People Party (PPP)said that he could not comment on the issue as it was sub-judice. — File Photo

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad indicted former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and six others in the rental power case on Friday, DawnNews reported.

All accused, including the former federal mister for water and power, refused to plead guilty whereas the bench hearing the case sought all relevant evidence from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the next hearing of the case which was adjourned until February 4.

Talking to media persons, after the hearing, the former prime minister belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said that he could not comment on the issue as the matter was sub-judice.

He further said that the character assimilation campaign being run on the media was regrettable.

Mr Ashraf is accused of misusing his authority during his tenure as the minister for water and power to obtain approval from the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and the cabinet for an increase in the down payment to the rental power companies from 7 per cent to 14 per cent, amounting to about Rs22 billion.

He authorised on April 13, 2009, the submission of a summary to the ECC which allegedly contained misleading facts, stating that the terms and conditions of the bidding envisaging 7 per cent advance could not be met and should be raised to 14 per cent.

Opinion

Editorial

Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...
Provincial share
Updated 17 Mar, 2024

Provincial share

PPP has aptly advised Centre to worry about improving its tax collection rather than eying provinces’ share of tax revenues.
X-communication
17 Mar, 2024

X-communication

IT has now been a month since Pakistani authorities decided that the country must be cut off from one of the...
Stateless humanity
17 Mar, 2024

Stateless humanity

THE endless hostility between India and Pakistan has reduced prisoners to mere statistics. Although the two ...