Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman
acquitted in 34-year
old property case

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LAHORE: An accountability court in Lahore has acquitted Jang-Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and all the other suspects named in a case relating to a property transaction that took place more than thirty six ago.

The accountability court declared that no charges were proved against the suspects and declared them innocent.

During the previous hearing, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s counsel, Amjad Perviz, had submitted an application with the court under Section 265-k seeking his client’s acquittal.

Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman

He pleaded with the court to acquit his client as there was nothing in the evidence presented against him.

At the outset of today’s hearing, the accountability court judge acquitted Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and all the other suspects nominated in the case.

The court further issued an order to release all seized properties of Rahman.

It is pertinent to mention here that in November 2020 Supreme Court had granted bail to Rahman who stayed in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for eight months.

Details of the the case

NAB had filed the reference over the property deal reached with the owners of private land in 1986. Based on this purchase, the anti-graft body had summoned Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman on March 5, 2020.

The editor-in-chief had presented all documents of the land and also recorded his statement. However, NAB had summoned him again on March 12 and arrested him.

According to constitutional and legal experts, his arrest during the scrutiny of land documents was unwarranted as NAB law does not allow for the arrest of any businessman during an inquiry.

The land was allotted according to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) rules and regulations, with the formal approval of the competent authorities, and in accordance with the LDA Exemption policy at that time.

All payments were made according to the government approved rates, just like all other allottees. In the entire process, no law was violated, and no loss was caused to the national exchequer.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was nominated in the reference as the then Punjab chief minister. Former DG LDA Humayun Faiz and Mian Bashir Ahmad had also been nominated in the case by the anti-graft body.

Two petitions were filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC), one for Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s bail and the other for his acquittal. Dismissing the pleas, the court had ordered to approach it once again at the right time.

On July 8, a division bench of the LHC had dismissed Rahman’s bail application after his arrest. Later, the editor-in-chief filed another petition in the Supreme Court on September 11 in which it was argued that the decision of the Lahore High Court should be quashed and he should be granted bail.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Mushir Alam and comprising Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed, heard the bail plea of Rahman.

On November 9, 2020, the Supreme Court granted bail to Rahman.

Allegations

The NAB in its reference had alleged that Rehman had illegally obtained exemption of 54 plots, each measuring one-kanal, situated in Block-H, Johar Town. It alleged that the allotment of the land had been made in connivance with the then chief minister of Punjab, Nawaz Sharif, in 1986 against the exemption policy and the laws for monetary gains.

It said the suspects caused a loss of Rs143.53 million to the national exchequer through the land allotment in violation of exemption policy.