LAHORE, May 16: The ARD deputy information secretary has sent a reference against President Pervez Musharraf to the National Accountability Bureau seeking action against him for allegedly misusing his powers to benefit his relatives. Munir Ahmed Khan, who is also a PPP leader, gave details of the alleged misuse of authority and the projects involved, at a news conference here on Monday.

He did not agree with the suggestion that his move at this juncture when the government and the PPP were in contact to reach some agreement could torpedo the dialogue process.

He said if Gen Musharraf could say that Swiss cases against Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari would not be withdrawn despite the talks, the filing of the reference against the general would also not adversely affect the talks.

About his locus standi, Munir Khan said he had moved the NAB as a spokesman of the ARD.

When it was pointed out that under the Constitution the president could not be proceeded against on any account, he said in that case his initiative would serve to expose the wrongdoings of Gen Musharraf.

Khan had moved some 40 references against Nawaz Sharif when the latter was prime minister and then took them back when the PPP and the PML-N became allies on the platform of the ARD.

He told a questioner that there was no possibility of his withdrawing the reference against Gen Musharraf. In the reference, he has also implicated the president’s son Bilal Musharraf and his father-in-law Brig (retd) Aftab Siddiqui and some others.

It has been alleged that Magnetic Levitation (Maglev) Commercial train project for Karachi had been approved by General Musharraf and the $298 million contract awarded to Brig (retd) Aftab Siddiqui.

“The Maglev Project given to him is not on Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis but on Ownership basis. He has also sanctioned a 450 MW gas-fired power plant. A Real Estate Development Commercial Loan of $100 million to his company will be guaranteed by the Pakistan government. A Non-Refundable Bank Guarantee of $60 million will be paid to his company to compensate for losses in the first 6 years of Maglev Project at $10 million per annum”. The reference also disputes the award of the multi-billion rupees contract for M-3.