LAHORE, June 19: An accountability court on Wednesday summoned the first four prosecution witnesses for June 29 in a reference against PML-N acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi.

In the present reference, Mr Hashmi has been accused of acquiring movable and immovable assets worth Rs38 million through illegal means.

Prosecutor Javed Shaukat Malik had moved an application during the last hearing that four officials of the Revenue Department, Multan, be exempted from personal appearance and the documentary evidence to be tendered by them against Hashmi be accepted as their final testimony.

The plea was made on the grounds that defence had been seeking unnecessary adjournments, making it difficult for the four out-stationed witnesses to turn up on every hearing.

Defence counsel Manzoor Malik pleaded that previously adjournments had been sought owing to different applications which the accused moved before the Lahore High Court. The defence would like to cross examine all the prosecution witnesses and their personal appearance should not be dispense with.

Following an assurance from defence not to seek further adjournments, the prosecution withdrew the application.

The court bounded the four witnesses, including a patwari, two ganoongo and a Naib Tehsildar for next hearing.

Javed Hashmi has been accused of acquiring assets, disproportionate to his known sources of income, during his tenure as federal minister from 1991 to 1999.

The details of the assets are: 175 acre agricultural land at Kot Addu worth Rs400,000 out of which 43 acres 6 kanal lies in his own name while the rest in the name of his brothers Muhammad Nasir Shah, Mukhtar Shah and nephew Zahid Ahmad Shah; one bungalow on 9 kanal at Qasim Road, Multan, worth Rs2.2 million purchased in the name of his wife during November 1991; one bungalow in F Sector, Islamabad, worth Rs 1.2 million purchased during 1991 in his own name.

An outhouse with three residential units at Ghariyala village, Multan district, constructed during 1992-98 costing Rs3.4 million with Hashmi’s share of Rs0.85 million; 35 per cent share worth Rs2,00,000 in Al-Makhdoom Cotton Factory in Makhdoom Rashid village, Multan, in the name of his two daughters; 20 per cent share worth Rs100,000 in Zahid Dal Factory in the Dorrana Lungna village, Multan, in the name of his daughter worth Rs300,000; share in Adage Advertising; 10 marla plot worth Rs173,000 in Gulshan-i-Wahid, Multan, in the name of his daughter; Rs106,000 worth plot measuring 10 marla in Doranna Lungna village, Multan.

Prize bonds worth Rs2 million in the name of his wife, one-third share in Mahfil Cinema at Hussain Agahi Road, Multan, worth Rs2.9 million in the name of his two daughters and three pajeros (1985, 1987 and 1993 models) worth Rs3.5 million in his own name.

It has been alleged that the accused received amounts to the tune of Rs11.3 million during 1990-91 through telegraphic transfer and bank drafts from the UBL, Adamjee Nagar Branch, Karachi, which he could not account for before investigating authorities.

Investigations revealed that till 1985, the accused owned agricultural land measuring 21 acres and 2 kanal in his own name while 10 acres and 7 kanal in the his wife’s name. The total income of Hashmi and his family according to NAB’s findings runs about Rs5 million while as claimed by the prosecution the accused and his family declared an income of Rs7.7 million for the year 1999-2000 alone.