LAHORE: As no response got here from former premier Nawaz Sharif on Friday within the land case involving the Jang group’s editor-in-chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, the Nationwide Accountability Bureau (NAB) is now contemplating sending him a questionnaire at his handle in London.
The Lahore NAB had requested Mr Sharif to seem for a listening to on this case on Friday (March 20).
“The summons were delivered to Nawaz Sharif in London for his appearance before a combined investigation team of NAB on Friday, but it received no response from him in this regard,” a supply advised Daybreak.
He mentioned the bureau would possibly ship him a questionnaire in search of a reply about allotment of land to Mr Rehman in alleged violation of guidelines.
The NAB had arrested Shakilur Rehman on March 12 in a 34-year-old case associated to 54-kanal plot of land he had allegedly acquired “illegally” when Nawaz Sharif was Punjab’s chief minister.
Mr Rehman is on bodily remand until March 25.
On a go to to Lahore workplace of the bureau on Thursday, NAB chairman retired justice Javed Iqbal was briefed about Mr Rehman’s case.
In response to NAB, a mixed investigation staff (CIT) headed by its Lahore chief Shahzad Saleem briefed the chairman about Mr Rehman’s case.
Justice Iqbal mentioned NAB believed in freedom of media. “The bureau has been discharging its national duties as per law and ensuring merit against alleged corrupt elements without taking any kind of pressure, threat or bowing before any propaganda campaign launched against it,” he mentioned. Mr Rehman had mentioned he had bought the property in query from a personal social gathering and given all proof to the bureau, together with the duties and taxes paid.
The Commonwealth Journalists Affiliation (CJA) has referred to as upon the federal government to launch Mir Shakil-ur- Rahman, saying that his arrest earlier than hearings had begun was opposite to the norms and was being broadly seen as an try to intimidate the nation’s largest unbiased media group.
The CJA additionally deplored an motion by the Pakistan Digital Media Regulatory Authority to instruct all cable distributors to cease broadcasting Geo TV.
In one other clear indication of the federal government’s pressurising of unbiased media, the Jang Group and the Daybreak Media Group, proprietor of the main English-language Daybreak newspaper, had been struggling since January from a authorities resolution to withdraw promoting as a sanction for his or her unbiased important reporting on authorities coverage and actions, the assertion added.
The CJA termed these actions an try to penalise two main unbiased media corporations. “We call on the government to honour the commitments it made in the Commonwealth Charter to uphold freedom of expression and a free media which is protected by law in its freedom to report and comment on public affairs.”
The CJA urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to carry curbs on the media and to create an setting the place the media might work with out concern of reprisal.
Revealed in Daybreak, March 21st, 2020
