Haqqani approaches Lahore High Court to challenge inclusion in NRO beneficiaries list

RAWALPINDI - Angered over being named in the NRO beneficiaries list, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani has filed a case in the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi bench.

Haqqani, in his petition, has challenged the decision of including his name in the beneficiaries list saying there were no cases pending against him in any court.

He argued that that he was made a co-accused in a case in May 1999 when he was kidnapped and later arrested by the FIA.

Haqqani admitted that three First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against him, however, he was granted bail in all the three cases by the Lahore High Court and the Sindh High Court.

“One of the FIRs was dropped at the investigation stage when evidence was found lacking and another was quashed by the Sindh High Court,” Haqqani said in his petition.

Haqqani’s lawyer, Sohail Qaiser Hasan, argued that investigation in the FIR under question was an abandoned case and should have been dropped by NAB, The Nation reports.

The petition also stated that Haqqani had never filed any application seeking relief under NRO.

The list of beneficiaries, released last week, includes the names of President Asif Ali Zardari and 36 other politicians, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, while Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and his wife are not on the controversial list. (ANI)