ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Tuesday extended the judicial remand of former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi till February 21.
Abbasi is being investigated for allegedly awarding a 15-year contract for a Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) terminal to a Qatari company in violation of rules and of causing losses to the national exchequer during his tenure as the petroleum minister in the cabinet of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The case, closed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 2016, was reopened in 2018.
Last year, Bloomberg reported that Pakistan saved more than $600 million “over the first 10 years of a natural gas supply deal by pitting some of the world’s biggest sellers against each other”.
“The maneuvering by Pakistan came after two years of negotiations hit an impasse as Qatar refused to lower its offer price for LNG. So Pakistan sought leverage on the open market in late 2015, publicly seeking 120 cargoes in two large tenders,” the business newspaper said of the deal negotiated by Abbasi.
During the hearing on Tuesday, Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Chairperson Uzma Adil Khan’s counsel moved a petition against surety bond of Rs10 million in her bail plea. The defence emphasised that she could not pay the amount and assured the court that she would not leave the country.
Promising full cooperation, Uzma proposed placing property as surety. She was against the idea of borrowing money to pay for bail. The bench reserved verdict on the plea.
Abbasi was joined by fellow parliamentarian Ahsan Iqbal for the court hearing. The two leaders later headed to the Parliament House for the ongoing National Assembly session.
In post-hearing talk with the media, Abbasi criticised the incumbent government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the economic crisis. “This government has been a failure from day 1,” he said and accused them of corruption. “The government has ended. It is just the funeral prayers that have to be recited.”
Abbasi underscored that the days for public to worry were over. “Everything will be fine now.”
