Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman granted permission to meet family, lawyer and physician

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court granted on Monday Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Geo Media Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman permission to meet his family, lawyers, and personal physician Dr Azmat.

MSR's wife Shahina Shakil filed a petition in the LHC on Monday through Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, who is representing the Jang Group owner in the fake case. Chairman NAB, Director-General NAB, judges of the accountability court, and others have been named in the petition challenging the detention.

During the arguments, MSR’s lawyer Aitezaz Ahsan said that the plea has also challenged the physical remand of his client.

The court asked if Nawaz Sharif has also been summoned in the case, to which Ahsan responded that he read in a newspaper column that the former prime minister has been summoned as well.

The NAB advocate said that the case of MSR was at inquiry stage, following which the court said that in such a situation the authority should have asked the media group owner questions and recorded his statement.

The court remarked that judiciary and press are two fundamental pillars of the state and it will not be allowed to shake them up.

Following the arguments, the high court allowed MSR  to meet family and lawyers, granting access to medicines and newspapers as well.

The court set March 26 as the next date of hearing of the case.

The petition, challenging the arrest of MSR in a property case, stated: "NAB violated the 2019 businessmen policy by arresting MSR".

"In the order that handed over MSR to authorities on a physical remand, the judge did not explain the grounds," it further noted.

NAB arrests MSR in fake case

NAB had on Thursday arrested the Editor-in-Chief of the Jang and Geo Media Group in connection with property allegedly bought illegally from a government entity more than 34 years ago. The property was in fact bought from a private party 34 years ago and all evidence of this was given to NAB and legal requirements fulfilled, such as duty and taxes.

According to a Jang Group spokesperson, the appearance before NAB was in a relation to a call-up notice for the verification of the complaint, yet an arrest was made. Islamabad High Court's recent judgment against NAB's violation of the country’s law and a violation of NAB's own rules has been committed.

"In the past 18 months, NAB has sent our reporters, producers, and editors — directly and indirectly — over a dozen notices, threatening a shutdown of our channels (via PEMRA) due to our reporting and our programmes on NAB," said the spokesperson.

"In its defense, NAB has in writing said it is a constitutionally protected institution that cannot be criticised. NAB has also, through several means, tried to persuade the group to step back, to stop stories, among other measures in its favor at the expense of the full truth."