SHC allows co-accused in Dr Asim’s JJVL reference to go abroad

By Staff Reporter

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has allowed the director of Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited (JJVL) Iqbal Z Ahmed, the co-accused in Rs 17.34mn reference against Dr Asim Hussain and others, to go abroad for his business appointments. He was nominated in the reference along with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain, former officials of Oil & Gas Company Limited (OGDC) Basharat Mirza, Zahid Bakhtiar and Yousuf Ansari. The reference was filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) pertaining to award of illegal gas contracts to a private company. Ahmed had filed an appeal through his counsel before SHC seeking permission to go abroad to do his business. “Ahmed has to attend meetings in Dubai and Singapore from 5th to 18th August. He will come back to country after completing his official assignments; therefore, he should be allowed to out of the country. After hearing the arguments, the SHC bench allowed him to go abroad and directed him to submit the surety bonds of Rs 3,000,000.