LAHORE: An accountability court on Friday gra­nted 12-day physical rem­and of Jang group editor-in-chief Mir Shakilur Rehman to the National Accounta­bi­lity Bureau (NAB) in a case relating to a 54-kanal land allegedly allotted to him in 1986 by the then Punjab chief minister Nawaz Sharif.

NAB arrested Mr Reh­man on Thursday when he made his second appearance before its combined investigation team.

At the outset of the hearing, NAB assistant director/investigation officer Abid Hussain informed the court that the suspect was accu­sed of illegally obtaining exe­mption of 54 plots each measuring one kanal situated in Block-H, Johar Town. He said the allotment of the land had been made in connivance with then chief minister Nawaz Sharif against the exemption policy and laws for monetary gains.

The investigation officer said the suspect had applied for the exemption as “general attorney” of the original owners. He said the exemption granted beyond 30 per cent quota by a public office holder needed an inquiry into the matter.

Senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, who appeared on behalf of Mr Rehman, questioned the arrest and said it was a 34-year-old case and that too relating to a transaction between private parties. He said the investigation officer and the NAB chairman had violated the policy and issued arrest warrants for the suspect without perusal of the record.

Mr Ahsan said the transaction of the land took place between the suspect and the real owners and that could not be taken as an offence as exemption of the plots was their right under the policy for development of Johar Town. He argued that the suspect was entitled to discharge from the case under Section 3 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Allowing the remand of the suspect for 12 days, Judge Chaudhry Ameer Muhammad Khan observed that the contention raised by the suspect’s counsel needed deeper appreciation. He noted that Section 24 of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 empowered the chairman to issue arrest warrants and the same should be based on the material available with him justifying an arrest.

The judge remarked that the argument by the suspect’s counsel for discharge from the case was premature. He ordered NAB to produce Mr Rehman again on March 25 and asked the investigation officer to decide in accordance with the law an application by the suspect for provision of his basic needs, including a sleep aid machine.

Meanwhile, NAB chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal took strict notice of taking picture of Shakilur Rehman in custody and sharing it on social media and directed the bureau’s Lahore director general to investigate the matter and submit a report in seven days. According to a NAB press release, the chairman has already issued instructions that the self-respect of every person appearing before the bureau must be taken care of and no laxity would be tolerated in this regard.

Reaction

Terming the arrest a form of political harassment, several international human rights groups on Friday demanded release of the Jang group editor-in-chief.

In a statement, Human Rights Watch-Asia director Brad Adams said: “The space for dissent in Pakistan is shrinking fast, and anyone who criticises government actions can become a target.”

He said detaining Mir Shakilur Rehman was just the latest case of harassment against Pakistan’s beleaguered media.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee, an international experts body that monitors state compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, stated that pre-trial detention should be an exception and as short as possible. It said pre-trial detention should not be used as a form of punishment.

The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also called for the immediate release of Mr Rehman whose arrest, it said, was clearly designed to intimidate the group’s journalists.

“Let’s not be fooled, Shakilur Rehman’s arrest has no legal basis and is clearly an act of harassment designed to bring the Jang media group into line,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific group. “We call for his immediate release. The Pakistani authorities are displaying appalling creativity in their attempts to intimidate journalists who try to work in a completely independent manner,” he added.

Ramsha Jahangir in Karachi also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2020