LAHORE: An accountability court on Wednesday extended judicial remand of leader of opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz in Ramzan Sugar Mills and illegal assets/money laundering cases.

Advocate Amjad Pervaiz filed an application for one-time exemption from personal hearing to leader of opposition in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif in Ashiana and sugar mills cases. He said Mr Sharif faced displacement of his spinal cord disks.

Presiding Judge Amjad Nazir Chaudhry observed that the spinal pain was common among citizens these days.

The counsel said his client had been mocked by political opponents in the media due to pain in his spine. He assured the court that the absence of Mr Sharif would not affect the proceedings.

The judge allowed the application and adjourned hearing till Oct 24.

Earlier, the defence counsel crossexamined a prosecution witness, Saqib Rehman, in the housing society case.

In this case, the court also extended judicial remand of former principal secretary to prime minister Fawad Hassan Fawad and Lahore Development Authority’s former head Ahad Cheema till the next hearing.

Meanwhile, the court adjourned hearing of the sugar mills case till Oct 30 and directed the NAB to complete its reference.

Outside the judicial complex, the police personnel roughed up media persons for the reason best known to them. They thrashed a news channel’s reporter and slapped a cameraman.

DIG Operations Ashfaq Khan ordered an inquiry into the police highhandedness and sought a report within two days.

PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb also condemned the police act of trying to restrain Hamza from talking to the media and torture of media persons.

She said Imran Khan imposed his fascist ideology and mindset upon the democratic republic.

“Such tactics can neither silence voices nor can transform blatant lies into truth,” she said adding that in frustration of not being able to find a dime of corruption against PML-N leaders, the desperate regime resorted to dictatorial ploys of muting all voices exposing its failure.

Ms Aurangzeb said attacking national institutions, officials and the media was a signature brand of the PTI. She demanded a case be registered against those responsible for assaulting the journalists.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2019