Illegal allotment case: Reference filed against Nawaz Sharif, Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed a reference in the Lahore Accountability Court against former Prime Minister and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif in an illegal allotment case.

In the reference filed by NAB, Nawaz Sharif, Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, Editor-in-Chief of Jang and Geo Group, Humayun Faiz, former Director General (DG) of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and Mian Bashir Ahmed, former Director Land Development have been named as the accused.

The Administrative Judge of the Accountability Court referred the reference to Judge Asad Ali of Accountability Court No. 1 where the reference against Nawaz Sharif and Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman will be heard on June 29.

A reference worth Rs. 143.5 million has been filed against Nawaz Sharif and Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman in two volumes.

It may be recalled that the NAB had issued a notice on March 15 and summoned Nawaz Sharif on March 20 in a land case against Jang Group owner Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman.

Later, the NAB had sent a questionnaire to Nawaz Sharif on March 27 and summoned him to the NAB office and directed him to record a statement on March 31.

Later on April 27, the NAB had decided to approach the accountability court to declare Nawaz Sharif a fugitive.

The arrest of Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman

On March 12, the National Accountability Office arrested Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, editor-in-chief of Jang and Geo Group, in a land-related case.

NAB spokesman Nawazish Ali said the NAB arrested Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman in Lahore in a case involving the purchase of 54 plots.

It was also alleged that Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman appeared before the NAB for the second time on Thursday to answer NAB’s queries regarding the land but failed to satisfy the bureau regarding the purchase of the land on which he was arrested.

Read also: Mir Shakeel, Mir Ibrahim plans to wind up Jang-Geo media group, reveals Merk Thomas

Note that according to the summons issued to Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman on February 28, he was evicted from the land allotted to him in 1986 by the then Punjab Chief Minister Nawaz Sharif in Block H of Johar Town Phase II. The NAB was summoned on March 5 to record the statement.

On the other hand, according to a spokesperson of Jang Group, the property was purchased 34 years ago, all the evidence of which was provided to the NAB, including documents meeting the legal requirements for taxes and duties.