NAB decides to screen all accused

Lahore :The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday decided to conduct coronavirus screening of all the accused in custody of the bureau at headquarters and at all the regional offices.

It is learnt that it was decided in a meeting chaired by NAB Chairman Justice (R) Javed Iqbal. The meeting took place under recent health protocol as all the participants in the meeting maintained a distance of four feet.

It was decided to ensure presence of the NAB prosecutors in the courts in a bid to avoid dismissal of cases due to non-prosecution. The meeting also cut down working hours of offices as onward NAB offices will open at 9 am and will close at 2pm.

Moreover, NAB officials above 50 years of age will be called only in important matters and staff will work on rotation basis. FIA to quarantine 88 officials: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Lahore, has decided to put its 88 officials in quarantine.

It has been learnt that the agency has decided to put elderly and suspected employees in 14-day home quarantine. According to a notification, of which a copy is available with The News, in the 88 officials are the employees from the ranks of additional directors to Naib Qasid.

An FIA spokesperson while talking to The News said that none of the FIA official yet had been tested coronavirus positive. He stated the officials were being put in quarantine as a precautionary measure.

The FIA officers will be available on phone, he added. Fake sanitizer seized: On the instructions of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar for the crackdown on those involved in making spurious sanitizer, hand wash and antiseptic chemicals, police and district administration have apprehended four accused and recovered hundreds of litres of fake sanitizer, hand wash and antiseptic chemicals in Gujranwala.

Police also seized the drums and other equipment/articles being used in the preparation of sanitizer, hand wash and antiseptic chemicals. Police warn of action: CCPO Zulfiqar Hameed has warned that lockdown designed to stop coronavirus spread will be implemented in letter and spirit and action would be taken on its violation.

He was addressing a meeting of senior police officers. He said lockdown should be taken seriously for the sake of lives of others. “Special teams have been formed at every police division level to prevent lockdown violations” he said. The meeting considered the steps taken so faar and the situation after the imposition of lockdown. The CCPO expressed satisfaction that the police had so far registered 233 cases in connection with the corona emergency and arrested 548 people.