NAB summons former premier Nawaz Sharif on March 31 in private property case.

ISLAMABAD -- The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has sent summons to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, asking him to appear in court in connection with a private property case.

According to the notice, sent to Nawaz at his London address, he is required to appear before the anti-graft body's joint investigation team (JIT) on March 31.

NAB has launched a probe into the sale of private property dating back to 1986, a time when Nawaz was the chief minister of Punjab.

Currently, Nawaz Sharif is in London seeking treatment for various illnesses.

As part of the investigation into the property's sale, editor-in-chief of the Jang and Geo Media Group, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, was arrested on March 12 over allegations he had bought the property illegally.

The property in question had been bought from a private party, and all the evidence, including legal requirements such as duty and taxes, to this effect, were provided to the anti-graft body.

MSR had gone on a call-up notice for verification of the complaint, but the arrest was made, in violation of court orders and NAB rules barring the body from investigating businessmen.

During a court hearing in the matter on March 13, the court asked the NAB prosecutor, Hafiz Asadullah, to explain why the Bureau had placed MSR under arrest.

"We started investigations against [MSR] in December 2019," Asadullah said.

"When Nawaz Sharif was chief minister, [MSR] obtained 54 plots from him," he alleged.

"[MSR] illegally obtained plots from the LDA...