LAHORE: Hearing on the bail petition of Jang group’s editor-in-chief Mir Shakilur Rehman in a 34-year-old land allotment case could not be held on Thursday due to unavailability of a division bench of the Lahore High Court.

On the last hearing, a bench comprising Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem and Justice Farooq Haider had heard the bail petition and sought a reply from the National Accountability Bureau by May 28.

Meanwhile, the bench dissolved due to transfer of Justice Naeem to the Rawalpindi seat of the high court.

As per the new roster of sitting judges, a division bench comprising Justice Muhammad Tariq Abbasi and Justice Farooq Haider, formed to hear NAB-related cases, will start functioning at the principal seat from June 1.

The NAB had arrested Mr Rehman on March 12 when he made his second appearance before its investigation team. He was sent to jail on judicial remand on April 28 by an accountability court.

The bureau alleged that Rehman illegally obtained exemption of 54 plots, each measuring one-kanal, situated in Block-H, Johar Town. It said the allotment of the land had been in connivance with then Punjab chief minister Nawaz Sharif against the exemption policy and the laws for monitory gains.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2020