LAHORE: A Lahore High Court division bench has dismissed an appeal of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against acquittal of former petroleum minister Anwar Saifullah Khan in 2000 Mehran Gas reference.

The bench comprising Justice Syed Muhammad Kazim Raza Shamsi and Justice Ali Bagar Najafi heard the appeal filed by the bureau against the judgment of a Rawalpindi accountability court passed on Jan 26, 2002.The trial court had acquitted Anwar Saifullah Khan, former minister for petroleum, and Saf dar Ali Abbasi of Mehran Gas Company.

Tajuddin Sherwani, acting director general (gas), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, had made a complaint in 1997, alleging that Mr Khan as minister allocated gas quota from Dhodak Gas Field on personal selection, on the basis of political patronage and extraneous circumstances, to Mr Abbasi of the Mehran Gas Company ignoring public sector companies.

Anwar Saifullah Khan waselected to the National Assembly as well as Senate, and belonged to the Pakistan Muslim LeagueJunejo Group, which supported the PPP in 1993 to form a coalition government with Benazir Bhutto as prime minister. Later Khan was appointed petroleum minister from 1994 to 1996.

Safdar Ali Abbasi was also elected a member of Senate in 1994.

The bench heard the counsels for the parties and perused the available record. It observed that the officers of the gas directorate had admitted that nowhere they found any signatures or initial of AnwarSaifullah Khan.

The trial court rightly observed that Khan, being minister, tried to accommodate different federating units to cater to the requirements of the remote area and that the government revenue did not suffer in any way. He had not done anything unusual and followed the past practice, the court said.

The bench ruled that the impugned order issued by the trial court was based upon evidence and correct appreciation of law. The bench did not find any exception in the impugned order and dismissed the appeal of the NAB.