PESHAWAR, April 29: A local court on Tuesday indicted Federal Minister for Water and Power, Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, for illegal exit from the country in early 2000.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge and decided to stand trial.

The court presided over by judicial magistrate, Syed Aqil Ahmad, has already exempted the defendant from personal appearance and the charge was framed through his counsel, Tariq Afridi.

The court has fixed May 21 for next hearing and summoned six prosecution witnesses. The witnesses are: An ASI of Immigration department, Peshawar airport, Jamil Khan; an inspector of FIA passport circle, Asal Mir Khan, two head constables of FIA passport circle, Iran Badshah and Jamil Khan; a DSP of National Accountability Bureau, Enayat Khan; and, a sub-inspector of Airport Security Force, Iftikhar Khan.

Mr Sherpao is accused of illegal exit from the country after the military takeover when his arrest warrants were issued by the Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau in January 2000.

He  is charged in an FIR registered by the  Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) passport cell on Jan 6, 2002, the day when Mr Sherpao returned back to Pakistan after ending his two- year self-exile.

The FIA has claimed that Mr Sherpao had left the country through an unauthorised route which was a crime under the law. Last year the court granted bail to Mr Sherpao on condition of furnishing two sureties of Rs 100,000 each.

During his absence, Mr Sherpao was declared a proclaimed offender and also sentenced by an accountability court in absentia to three years imprisonment for evading arrest.