ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau has rejected media reports attributed to the Human Rights Watch and clarified that Mian Javed Ahmad died in the Camp Jail, Lahore, in judicial custody.

“He was not in the custody of NAB nor on judicial remand, therefore, the insinuation attributed to NAB is completely misconceived, incorrect and not based upon facts,” said the clarification.

The NAB claimed that Mian Javed Ahmed was not a professor but owner of an illegal campus purportedly misusing the name of Sargodha University.

A complaint was duly filed by the vice chancellor of the Sargodha University in this respect for running an illegal campus under the name and style of Sargodha University.

The clarification said the accused had swindled millions of rupees from innocent students by alluring them that they will get degrees at the end of the academic year which were never awarded to them. “Therefore, he committed a cognizable offence. This fact was highlighted by the daily The News Lahore and the daily Frontier Post Lahore and was published on 21st December, 2018,” it added.

It said the insinuation and allegation regarding Dr Mujahid Kamran, former VC, are also baseless and incorrect. On the direction of the LHC, the bureau had initiated an inquiry into the alleged illegal appointments in PU. It said the former VC allegedly in connivance with the former registrars had made 550 illegal appointments in the university in grade 17, 18 and 19 from 2013 to 2016.

The appointments were made on a contract basis and were renewed after the expiry of the contract and a majority was regularized later in phases.

The NAB outrightly rejected the allegation related to Mir Shakil ur Rehman of Jang Group. “Mir Shakilur Rehman was arrested as per law and produced before the Accountability Court very next day where NAB has presented grounds of his arrest. The court after hearing of arguments of both sides granted his remand into NAB custody as per law,” it added.

The bail application of Mir Shakilur Rehman was twice rejected by the Lahore High Court. “He is not in NAB custody as the accountability court had sent him on judicial remand,” it said.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2020