The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday directed National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to arrest Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and 15 others in the rental power project case.
Headed by Chief Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, a three-member bench of the apex court hearing of rental power case.
During the proceedings, the bench ordered to arrest prime minister and 16 accused immediately and submit a report to the court till tomorrow.
62-year-old Raja Pervez Ashraf, who served as the water and power minister from 2008 to 2011 under Yousaf Raza Gillani-led cabinet, was accused of receiving kickbacks and commissions in the rental power projects.
Mr Ashraf has repeatedly termed the allegations against him “false and baseless.”
Earlier last year, the apex court had declared all contracts signed by the government for rental power plants as illegal and directed authorities to take legal action against the people involved in the scam.
Ashraf became Prime Minister after the Supreme Court disqualified Yousuf Raza Gilani in the NRO implementation case in June last year.
The order of prime minister’s arrestment sparked jubilations among Tahirul Qadri-led millions of protesters outside Parliament House in Islamabad, demanding the resignation of the government.
