Inclusion of Haqqani's name in NRO beneficiaries list: Accountability court directed to decide matter

A division bench of Lahore High Court (LHC) here on Wednesday while referring the case of Pakistani ambassador in US Hussain Haqqani to accountability court of Rawalpindi directed to decide whether his name was added in the list of National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) beneficiaries rightly. The benched headed by Chief Justice LHC on November 3, last had reserved its verdict.
Previously, an investigating officer of FIA Khalid Mehmood appeared before the bench and said he had declared Haqqani guilty in his inquiry for making irregularities in grant of cable televisions licenses. NAB counsel, however, said the then deputy prosecutor general of the bureau after inspecting the charges against the petitioner had dropped investigations against him. He further said that name of the petitioner was mistakenly included in the list of NRO beneficiaries.
Haqqani's counsel had submitted that the petitioner never applied for any benefit under NRO in any alleged case against him. Three cases were filed against him by the Ehtisab Bureau of in 1999 on the charges of misuse of power. The Lahore High Court later released him on bail after 79 days in detention.
He further said the Sindh High Court quashed FIR in one of the cases whereas the other case was dropped by the investigation agency after failing to find any evidence. The third on the list of cases had never reached the stage of prosecution and as such there was no question of Haqqani requesting any relief under NRO. He said investigation agency might have dropped the case on its own. He requested the court to remove Haqqani's name from beneficiaries of NRO.