RAWALPINDI: A local court here on Saturday issued fresh non-bailable arrest warrants for the Federal Minister for Water and Power, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, and others for not appearing in court despite issuance of repeated summons in a criminal case registered in 1998 after they allegedly quarrelled with the staff of the Lahore High Court.
 
Magistrate Ray Afzal Hussain Kharal issued arrest warrants for the minister and two workers of Pakistan People’s Party, Shahzada Kosar Gillani and Muhammad Sabir, directing the Airport police to arrest them and produce before the court on Nov 21 after police submitted that the accused could not be reached at their addresses.

The court had already issued arrest warrants for the accused for not attending court proceedings.

The court has been conducting the trial of the accused after they were booked by the Airport police on Dec 23, 1998, on a complaint by the deputy registrar of the LHC’s Rawalpindi bench.

Among the charges are rioting, defamation, criminal intimidation and obstructing public servants in the performance of duty.

The case was registered after the accused allegedly tried to blacken the face of a government servant who had recorded a statement in the LHC against Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari in a corruption trial.

In the same case, Naheed Khan, a close aide of Benazir Bhutto, has moved an application under section 249-A of CrPC, seeking acquittal. Ms Khan said she was wrongly related with the case and there was nothing incriminating against her.