An accountability court declared on Monday former Benazir Income Support Programme chairperson Farzana Raja a proclaimed offender and issued her permanent arrest warrants in the BISP corruption reference. Raja, who is currently out of the country, served as the BISP chairperson during the tenure of the Pakistan Peoples Party government from 2008 to 2013.
She is accused of embezzling Rs1.5 billion from the BISP funds. These funds were embezzled on the pretext of issuing advertisements, according to the National Accountability Bureau.
During the hearing on Monday, Judge Asghar Ali ordered the authorities to block her national identity card and place her name on the Exit Control List.
Raja would be separated from the reference and the court would set a new date for her indictment, the judge said. The court summoned the NAB investigating officer and adjourned the hearing till June 14.
Punjab CM
The Lahore High Court termed non-maintainable a petition naming Punjab chief minister for committing contempt of court.
Justice Ayesha Malik heard the petition on Monday filed by Faisalabad-based Mehmood.
The petitioner said that the deputy director, Dr Zubair, hired for the audit of local government funds violates merit. He has a fake degree, the petitioner claimed. He was absent from duty for seven months and was living outside Pakistan. The petition said that a complaint was filed with the department but it has not been addressed yet. The court asked, however, why the petition named the Punjab chief minister as a respondent and disposed it off.
Parachinar Internet plea
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday dismissed a petition with regard to Internet facility in Parachinar after assurance from the Ministry of Interior.
A single bench of IHC, comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard a petition of a student seeking Internet facility in Parachinar in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
The Deputy Attorney General, counsel of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Munawwar Duggal and a representative of the Ministry of Interior appeared before the court for the hearing.
Interior Ministry’s representative informed the court that the Ministry of Defence has prepared a schedule for restoration of the Internet in the former Fata region. “The schedule has also been shared with the PTA,” the bench informed. After statement of the interior ministry, the chief justice observed that action being taken on the petition of the applicant and dismissed the petition with necessary instructions. The petitioner stated in petition that he is aggrieved because Ministry of IT and the PTA had denied him and the general public the right of access to internet in Parachinar.
He contended that access to internet was a constitutionally guaranteed right and was an integral part of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 19 and 19-A of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973.
