Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, others acquitted in LNG reference case

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court acquitted former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) reference case on Tuesday.

At the beginning of the hearing, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) lawyer told the court about withdrawing all charges against Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the LNG case.

Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana had heard the case and delivered the verdict on the NAB’s plea for withdrawing the reference against Abbasi. During the hearing, the deputy commissioner said, “The NAB is withdrawing the reference against Shahid Khaqan Abbasi”.

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After withdrawing the reference, the accountability court acquitted all the accused including the former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail, and fifteen others. It is said that the NAB’s decision to withdraw the reference has been made on merit.

According to the reports, the request to drop the reference against the former PML-N lawmaker was made by the former head of Pakistan State Oil (PSO).

Anti-graft watchdog had arrested both Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Miftah Ismail in the reference filed on December 3, 2019. NAB had accused Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of causing a loss of Rs21 billion to the national exchequer. Abbasi was released on bail by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in 2020.

It should be noted that Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, his son Abdullah Khaqan Abbasi, Miftah Ismail, Sheikh Imranul Haq, Agha Jan Akhtar, Saeed Ahmed Khan, Aamir Naseem, Uzma Adil Khan and others were named in the reference.