Jail amenities: Court reserves verdict over petition of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court reserved its verdict over the petition filed by former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi seeking amenities at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, ARY News reported on Friday.

The accountability court’s judge Muhammad Bashir resumed the hearing of the petition. The hearing was attended by Sadia Abbasi, a sister of former prime minister Abbasi and Barrister Zafarullah Khan.

The officials from the Adiala Jail have submitted a medical report of the ex-PM and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz senior vice president Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. They said that the jail authorities have decided to undergo medical tests of Abbasi.

Sadia Abbasi pleaded the court that he wanted to undergo his medical tests from a hospital of his own choice. During the hearing, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor opposed providing a laptop to Abbasi in his prison cell.

After completion of the arguments, the court has reserved its verdict over the petition.

Read: PML-N spokesperson seeks court’s permission to meet Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

Abbasi had been arrested by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) while en-route to Thokar Niaz Baig in Lahore on July 18 in a multi-billion-rupee case related to the award of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contract.

NAB sources said that Abbasi, in 2013, had awarded LNG import and distribution contract to the Elengy Terminal in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules and relevant laws.

Earlier on April 26, the names of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail and five others were placed in exit control list in an inquiry into the LNG scandal.

Read: C-class jail facilities for suspects in over Rs500mn corruption case: minister

On September 30, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s plea had been granted by an accountability court seeking additional facilities in jail.

The petitioner had pleaded that a cook should be allowed to stay with him to prepare controlled diet for the former prime minister.

The petitioner also sought the permission of air conditioner, refrigerator, TV set and other facilities for Abbasi during his stay in jail. The court had granted the plea of additional facilities to the former prime minister.