Lahore: Nawaz declared absconder by the court

LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was declared an absconder and had non-bailable arrest warrants issued against him on Tuesday in the illegal plot allotment case that also includes Jang group Editor-in-chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and others as accused.

Accountability Court judge Asad Ali while presiding over the hearing of the case also ordered the confiscation of Nawaz’s properties.

The court also directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Revenue Department to submit a report on the confiscation at the next hearing. Moreover, the court ordered to start the process of indictment against Mir Shakil at the next hearing.

In an apparent reference to the publishing of Nawaz’s proclamations in a separate case, the court observed that proclamations for Nawaz Sharif’s summons were issued, whereas a report on his summons and absence was also submitted to the court.

“Despite the lapse of 30 days, the accused Nawaz Sharif did not appear,” the court remarked. During the proceedings; NAB Special Prosecutor Haris Qureshi prayed before the court to declare the former premier a fugitive; as 30 days had lapsed since the issuance of his proclamations.

Muhammad Nawaz Chaudhry Advocate appeared on behalf of accused Mir Shakil; whereas accused Humayun Faiz Rasool and Mian Bashir Ahmed; were represented by advocates Haider Rasool Mirza and Rana Mushtaq respectively.

According to NAB, the accused Mir Shakil, with the connivance of the then Punjab Chief Minister Nawaz Sharif, acquired 54 plots measuring one Kanal in an area on the exemption. NAB’s reference states that acquiring plots on the exemption in one area was a violation of the Exemption Policy 1986.

“Accused Mir Shakil also included two streets in the allotted plots with the connivance of Nawaz Sharif,” the NAB prosecutor observed. He further argued that accused Mir Shakil had the plots transferred; in the name of his wife and children, minors at the time, to cover up his crime.