ISLAMABAD: During Thursday's hearing of the case pertaining to arrest orders against former chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), Tauqir Sadiq, the Supreme Court was informed that Sadiq's passports had been cancelled and instructions had been sent to the Interpol in relation with the arrest orders against him, DawnNews reported.

Counsel for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) informed the court that Sadiq's passports had been cancelled.

Officials from the Federal Investigations Agency (FIA) told the court that instructions had been sent to the Interpol in this regard, adding that red-warrants against the former Ogra chief could not be issued until he was declared an absconder.

Earlier this week, the NAB and police officials expressed their helplessness in arresting the former Ogra chief by the Dec 31 deadline given by the court and informed a two-judge bench hearing the case that he had escaped to Nepal.

Sadiq and three other officials of Ogra – Mansoor Ali Muzaffar, Mir Kamal Frid Bijarani Muree and Jawad Jamil – are accused of misusing authority, embezzling funds and causing Rs82 billion losses to the national exchequer by converting operating income (regular income) into non-operating income in violation of an agreement signed with the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, relocating several CNG stations, making illegal appointments, etc. Sadiq is also said to be a close relative of Pakistan People’s Party’s Secretary General Jehangir Badar.