An anti-terrorism court on Saturday extended interim bail of PML-N leaders Rana Sanaullah and Captain (retd) Safdar until October 20 in the NAB office attack case.
The counsels for Rana Sanaullah and Captain (retd) Safdar appeared in court as it resumed hearing. They requested the court to put off the hearing for the time being saying they will begin forwarding arguments in the case on October 19.
Sanaullah’s lawyer stated before the judge that police had arrested as many as 58 persons from outside the NAB Lahore office. Terrorism charges were incorporated in the case at the government’s behest, he alleged. He said the terrorism charges were added immediately after the appointment of the Lahore’s CCPO.
Rana Sanaullah and Captain (retd) Safdar are among the PML-N members nominated in the case. Maryam Nawaz is also facing the case; she is accused of targeting the NAB officials through her party workers.
It is important to note that on August 12, Lahore police had registered a case against 300 Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leaders including its Vice President Maryam Nawaz on the complaint of the National Accountability Bureau after violent clashes outside the NAB office.
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The case carried sections dealing with the attack on the NAB office in Lahore, interference in official duty and other related sections pertaining to violent acts.
Analysts are of the view that due to the lack of evidence against the key PML-N leaders, the NAB may not be able to build a proper case before the court. “The NAB will have to establish a link between the actions carried out by the PML-N workers and their leaders; were they given any instructions to do the same,” a Lahore-based lawyer told GVS.
Case against Maryam Nawaz: Background and facts
The NAB has also summoned former DC Lahore Noorul Amin Mengal in this regard. This case is against former PM Nawaz Sharif, his mother Shamim Begum, Maryam Nawaz, and Shahbaz Sharif.
The NAB Lahore has asked Maryam to appear before the investigators on August 11 along with details of land acquired by her in Raiwind and Jati Umra. She has been asked to provide sources of funds from which the land was purchased. The NAB has asked Maryam to come with details if she has sold any piece of land along with details about the use of land whether it is being used for agriculture or any commercial activity. As per sources, this investigation is about 3,568 Kanals acquired by the Sharif family in 2013. The NAB will also investigate the former PM along with his mother Shamim Begum after they return to the country from the UK.
Maryam is accused of acquiring 180 Acres (1,440 Kanals) of what was allegedly supposed to be government land in Raiwind. The land transfer was done during DC Amin Mengal and former DG LDA Ahad Cheema’s tenure.
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A piece of land measuring over 3,568 Kanals was bought by the Sharif family in 2013. The largest part of the property, 1,936 Kanals, was transferred in the name of Nawaz’s mother Shamim Bibi. The land that was transferred to Maryam was 1,440 Kanals. A 96-Kanal plot each was also transferred to Nawaz and Shahbaz. The sources claimed most of the land was government land which the Sharif family illegally got transferred in their name at cheap rates. Moreover, only the LDA had the authority to deal with such matters but the Sharif family involved local government officials. The property was declared as green land to stop construction around the Sharif family’s Jati Umra mansions.