LAHORE: (Web Desk) The Lahore High Court (LHC) has on Wednesday approved Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-president Maryam Nawaz’s interim bail till April 12 and barred the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from arresting her.
A two-member bench heard Maryam Nawaz’s plea as the PML-N leader moved the court today requesting an interim bail ahead of her NAB hearing on March 26. The LHC directed Maryam Nawaz to appear before the NAB investigation officer. The court issued notice to the NAB chairman and summoned reply in the next hearing.
Maryam Nawaz talked to media afterwards and said she has had enough of political revenge and shown enough endurance but it time to vie now. The NAB is being run by everyone except the institution itself, she remarked.
The PML-N leader said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government is in trouble and the anti-graft body will not be allowed to save his sinking ship.
Maryam Nawaz said there are no differences with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and such ups and downs are a part of politics. PML-N and PPP have individual strategies and some common goals under Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), she added.
The PML-N vice-president she has good relationship with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. I am Nawaz Sharif’s daughter, I am aware of the politics of tolerance and know how to follow it, she commented.
PML-N’s Muhammad Safdar, Rana Sanaullah and Pervaiz Rashid were present in the courtroom along with Maryam Nawaz who has been summoned by the anti-corruption watchdog in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills and illegal land transfer cases. She had challenged the NAB notices afterwards.
NAB spokesperson told that Sharif family is accused of illegally acquiring over 3000 kanals of land in 2013 and of changing the Lahore Master Plan in 2015 with the help of the then DCO Noorul Amin Mengal and LDA DG Ahad Khan Cheema.
It has further been alleged that Sharif family, with the connivance of officials, got thousands of kanals in Jati Umrah declared as green land. The NAB notice directed Maryam Nawaz to bring all required records with her on March 26.
On the other hand, the Punjab government Tuesday approved the NAB request to declare its Lahore office as red zone on March 25 and 26 due to Maryam Nawaz’s hearing.
The provincial regime approved to appoint Rangers and police around the accountability bureau office, and a letter had been written to the Ministry of Interior seeking the Rangers’ services in this regard.
Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat said no one will be allowed to violate the law and strict action will be taken against those who breach the law and order situation or the coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs).
The anti-graft body had sought help from the Punjab government after reports of a possible attack from workers of some political parties at its Lahore office building on March 26.