Sibtain Khan seeks exemption from appearance in Chiniot mining contract case

LAHORE: Punjab’s former forestry minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sibtain Khan on Friday sought exemption from personal appearance in an accountability court in Chiniot Mines and Minerals’ contract case, ARY News reported.

The accountability court conducted the hearing of the case related to the illegal contract case for extracting minerals in Chiniot.

Sibtain Khan did not appear before the court and sought exemption from appearance through his counsel.

During the hearing, the court questioned the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor regarding the reason for not filing a corruption reference.

The prosecutor told the court that preparation of the corruption reference has entered into its final phase and it will be filed after the formal approval of NAB chairman.

Later, the court extended judicial remand of three co-accused person and adjourned the hearing till October 18.

It is pertinent to mention here that the former Punjab Minister for Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Sibtain Khan had been released after furnishing bail bonds in the sum of Rs5 million with two sureties over the orders of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on September 28.

Sibtain Khan was released after the issuance of ‘robkar [mandamus]’, a copy of which obtained by ARY News, by an accountability court in Lahore following the acceptance of his post-arrest bail plea in LHC under Article 199.

Khan had been arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on June 14 over the charges of awarding of contracts illegally for extracting minerals in Chiniot.

It may be noted that the release orders of Sibtain Khan were given after the issuance of a 20-page written verdict of the Lahore High Court earlier in the day given by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem in connection with the bail petition submitted by the PTI leader.