NAB approves reference against Nawaz, Jang editor.

Byline: Zulqernain Tahir

LAHORE -- The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore has approved filing of a reference against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Jang Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakilur Rahman and two others in a land case.

The approval to file a reference against the four suspects in the 34-year-old case was given in a meeting of the NAB regional board here on Wednesday with its Director General Shahzad Saleem in the chair.

The other two suspects are former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director Humayun Faiz Rasool and former director (land) Mian Bashir.

According to the NAB, Mr Rahman was allotted 54 plots (each measuring one kanal) in H-block of Johar Town Phase-II Lahore being the holder of general power of attorney on behalf of Hidayat Ali and Hikmat Ali by the then Punjab chief minister Nawaz Sharif in 1986 in violation of the relevant laws/rules.

The suspects in collusion with each other had also included two streets in the allotted land, thus making the total allotted land to Mr Rahman 59 kanals. The land of common passage (street) could not be sold to any person according to the law.

Mr Rahman prepared a sale deed of the 54 plots in favour of his wife and children being the general power of attorney holder of Hidayat Ali. 'These plots were then transferred to Mr Rahman by his wife and children. The land for which Mr Rahman obtained general power of attorney was not located at one place in compact form, rather it was located in the form of three pockets at different locations,' the bureau stated.

In the reference, Nawaz Sharif and the two LDA officers were accused of misuse of authority in allotting the precious land along the canal to Mr Rahman in violation of the rules. Under the LDA exemption policy, not more than 15 plots measuring one kanal each could be exempted to Mr Rahman.

Since Nawaz did not respond to any of NAB's summons and...