Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s bail plea hearing put off till July 7

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday put off the bail hearing of Jang-Geo Media Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman till July 7 in a 34-year-old private property case.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Shahbaz Rizvi and Justice Sardar Ahmad Nadeem asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) whether it had submitted its response in the case, to which the anti-graft body’s prosecutor said it had.

The Jang-Geo Editor-in-Chief’s lawyer, Amjad Pervez, told the court that according to the NAB, the investigation against his client had been completed. The judge responded by saying that a copy of the NAB’s response was not attached with the case file.

“We will listen to the case when the copy [of the NAB’s response] is attached to the file,” said the bench, following which the bench ordered the high court office to attach a copy of the NAB’s response to the file. On a court query, the counsel said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman had been sent to jail on judicial remand.

“What material against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has been brought forth after April 7,” asked the court, to which Pervez replied that the NAB had recorded the statements of Director Land Development Bashir Ahmad and Director General Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Humayun Faiz Rasool. The NAB’s special prosecutor said the anti-graft body had also recorded statements of two LDA officers who were in service in 1986.

Justice Rizvi inquired as to why only one copy of the NAB’s response had been presented to the court, to which the prosecutor replied he had submitted four copies at the registrar’s office. Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s lawyer told the court that no evidence against his client was presented, adding all documents had been provided to the NAB but nothing more could be obtained against his client.

He urged the court to release Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman on bail. After hearing arguments from both the sides the court adjourned the hearing on the bail plea till July 7.The Jang-Geo Editor-in-Chief was arrested by the NAB on March 12 on the allegations relating to a private property purchased more than three decades ago. A petition was filed shortly afterwards against the arrest.