LAHORE: An accountability court on Tuesday issued perpetual arrest warrants of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif after completing the process to declare him an absconder in a reference of illegal land allotment transaction which also involves Jang group editor-in-chief Mir Shakilur Rehman.

As Presiding Judge Asad Ali resumed hearing, NAB Prosecutor Haris Qureshi submitted a report on the process to declare Sharif an absconder. He said the suspect had not made his appearance before the court within the last opportunity of 30 days given to him in the proclamation issued under section 87 of CrPC.

He said the process required under the law to declare Sharif an absconder stood completed.

The judge declared the former premier absconder and issued his perpetual arrest warrants.

The judge also directed the NAB to initiate further proceedings under section 88 of CrPC, which entailed attachment of the movable and immovable property owned by the absconder.

The judge adjourned hearing till Nov 26 for the indictment of other suspects including Mr Rehman, former director general of Lahore Development Authority Humayon Faiz Rasool and its director land Mian Bashir Ahmad.

The NAB in its reference alleged that Rehman illegally obtained exemption of 54 plots, each measuring one-kanal, situated in Block-H, Johar Town. It alleged that the allotment of the land had been in connivance with then chief minister Nawaz Sharif against the exemption policy and the laws for monetary gains. It said the suspects caused a loss of Rs143.53 million to national exchequer through allotment of the land in violation of exemption policy.

In this case, the NAB had arrested Rehman while other two suspects, the former officials of the LDA, were not arrested by the NAB but interrogated only. The Supreme Court on Monday granted post-arrest bail to Rehman.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2020