Jang editor in chief denied bail.

LAHORE -- The Lahore High Court on Wednesday denied post-arrest bail to Jang Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakilur Rehman in a 34-year-old case about some land allegedly allotted to him in violation of rules by the then Punjab chief minister Nawaz Sharif.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem and Justice Farooq Haider dismissed the bail petition of Mr Rehman after hearing lengthy arguments from both sides - petitioner and prosecution - during a crowded hearing attended by politicians and senior lawyers.

PML-N MNA Rana Sanaullah Khan, Pakistan Bar Council Vice Chairman Abid Saqi, its Executive Committee Chairman Azam Nazir Tarar, member Ahsan Bhoon and Supreme Court Bar Association President Syed Qalb-i-Hassan were present in the court.

Resuming his arguments, Mr Rehman's counsel Amjad Pervez submitted that the investigation against the petitioner had been completed and nothing recovered from him. The exemption of 54-kanal land was granted to the petitioner in accordance with the law and Lahore Development Authority (LDA) had no objection to it.

He said the petitioner was not a public office holder and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman was not the competent authority to initiate legal proceedings against him. He pointed out that the charge of abetment in an offence was not incorporated in the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 as it was inserted later through an amendment without retrospective effect. Therefore, he said, the provision...