KARACHI, Jan 9: An accountability court adjourned the hearing of a reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau against former minister of industries and mineral resources, his spouse and others as the defence counsel did not turn up on Wednesday.

Accountability Court-II Judge Sadiq Hussain Bhatti put off the hearing of the reference (24/2002) pertaining to a land scam till January 28. The previous hearing was also adjourned due to the absence of the defence counsel and the special prosecutor on January 1.

The late Agha Tariq, his wife Gulnar Begum, former chief minister late Abdullah Shah, ex-secretary of land utilization department Ali Sher Shaikh, and Khalid Masood are accused of having envisaged a plan that deprived the Sindh government of its expensive land in Malir district.

According to the reference, the former minister filed an application with his own department through his wife, Gulnar Begum, and in connivance with other accused obtained a licence for the excavation of minerals over 341.68 acres in Malir on a lease of 30 years.

In August 1995, his wife moved an application to the then chief minister, Syed Abdullah Shah, requesting for the conversion of lease of this land to 99 years for residential/commercial/industrial purposes, following which the chief minister passed orders for the submission of a summary.

The application was processed by Ali Sher Shaikh, who submitted a distorted summary with concealed facts and in violation of the law, rules of business and existing ban. Both Abdullah Shah and Mr Shaikh, along with their associates, granted fresh lease of the said land and changed its status from mineral to residential/commercial purposes, according to the NAB reference.

Ali Sher Shaikh and Gulnar Begum had already been declared as offenders while other accused in the case were released on bail.

Khaild Masood, one of the accused in the case, through his counsel had submitted an application under Section 265-K of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to the court, pleading for acquittal from the case. The court would take up the application on the next date of hearing.