NAB rejects PML-Q leaders' stance on pending inquiries.

LAHORE -- The National Accountability Bureau has rejected the stance of Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi taken in their petitions regarding some pending inquiries against them.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the NAB-Islamabad complained that the institution had been subjected to an unending 'propaganda' on the basis of inquiries against the Chaudhry brothers.

It said the NAB chairman had not taken any final decision on these cases or issued any order that could be challenged before the court.

The bureau further said that all old cases had been investigated as per normal course as they could not be kept in closets for an indefinite time. It reiterated that NAB was an independent institution and had no political affiliation. It urged media to avoid speculations and seek version from its spokesperson before airing or publishing news about pending cases.

LHC adjourns hearing of three identical petitions filed by Chaudhrys

Meanwhile, a division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday adjourned hearing of three identical petitions by PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Pervaiz Elahi, challenging three 20-year-old inquiries against them by NAB.

Mr Elahi personally appeared before the bench along with other party leaders and his legal team, including Lahore High Court Bar Association president Tahir Nasarullah Warraich and Amjad Pervez. The bench comprises Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem and Justice Farooq Haider.

During the short hearing, Mr Warraich objected to the presence of Justice Haider on the bench, saying the judge had represented the Chaudhry brothers in number of cases before his elevation.

Therefore, he said, it would not be appropriate for the judge to be part of the bench hearing the instant petitions.

Justice Naeem, who headed the bench, observed that the bench was not going to hear the petition since it received the case files late and unable to go through them.

The judge said the bench would hear the petitions on May 11 and would decide first the objection...