Park Lane case: Naek, Bukhari represent Zardari, Bilawal in NAB

ISLAMABAD: The legal counsel of former president Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari — Senator Farooq H Naek and Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari — Thursday appeared before the Combined Investigation Team (CIT) of the NAB and submitted the reply of their party leaders in a case with regard to ongoing investigations against officers of CDA, M/s Park Lane Estate Company Private Limited and others of illegally allotting Forest Department land to Park Lane Estate Company Private Limited.

The legal team comprised of two former chairmen Senate--Senator Farooq H Naek and Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari — informed the CIT of the NAB Rawalpindi about non-appearance of Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The legal team of PPP has submitted the reply to the notice to the NAB’s three member CIT headed by Assistant Director NAB Muhammad Waqar. According to sources, the CIT has already investigated the officials of the CDA and Revenue Department and also acquired the record of the Park Lane Estate (Pvt) Ltd in which Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were share holders.

Talking to The News after the appearance before the CIT, Senator Farooq H Naek said the notices served to Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were only political victimisation and nothing else. “Neither Asif Ali Zardari nor Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have any direct link with the affairs of the company,” he said.

Senator Farooq H Naek said he had showed all the documents to the NAB team and asked them how the case was framed but they did not give any answer.

“The issue of demarcation of the land was pending before the Department of the Revenue as it was a matter of the re-demarcation which was ordered by Assistant Commissioner in 2016 and since it was pending and no demarcation was made,” he said.

He said NAB investigation team did not give any questioner to former president Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

He said it was simple civil matter and did not come under the purview of the NAB and not under its law as the matter was pending before the Revenue department. “I had clearly told them that neither Asif Ali Zardari nor Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had any direct link with the Pak Lane company but were shareholders of the company,” he said.

Farooq H Naek said all the relevant documents showed to the NAB team and they had no answer. Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said the nature of land issue of Park Lane was of civil litigation and the purpose of the NAB was only to politically harass the leadership of the PPP for political motives.

He said the Park Lane Company had filed the application in the Department of Revenue for the re-demarcation of 2,716 Kanal of land in Sangjani, Islamabad since the year 2016 but no decision has so far taken on this.

“Now the NAB said that this land was illegally occupied,” he said and added that it was nothing but only a political victimisation. “We have asked them to close this case as it was a matter of civil litigation and did not come under the purview of the NAB,” he said.

While according to NAB, during the course of investigation, it revealed that the Revenue officers in connivance with CDA officers, on application from M/s Park Lane Estate Company (Pvt) Ltd, illegally extended undue benefit to M/s Park Lane Company (Pvt) Ltd through demarcation and handing over possession of 118K-14M forest land,” the NAB stated while justification of sending notice of summon to former President Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.