LAHORE - The Accountability Court in Lahore on Tuesday issued a perpetual arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif in the plot allotment case.
The warrant was issued by Accountability Court Judge Asad Ali at the request of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for Nawaz Sharif's alleged involvement in the case.
Special Prosecutor Haris Qureshi on behalf of the bureau submitted a report and stated that Nawaz Sharif was deliberately avoiding court proceedings. He submitted that the process of proclamation under Section 87 (proclamation for person absconding) had been completed, and the court orders had been displayed on Nawaz Sharif's residences in Model Town and Raiwind, ordering him to appear before the court. Whereas the receptionist at Nawaz Sharif's residence in London had refused to receive the orders, he added.
At this, the court issued perpetual arrest warrants for Nawaz Sharif and ordered the bureau for initiating process for attachment of his property under Section 88, besides seeking a report from the bureau and Revenue department in this regard.
The court adjourned further hearing till November 26 and hinted to indict Jang/Geo group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, on the next date of hearing.
The court had on October 1 issued a proclamation against Nawaz Sharif requiring him to appear in one month's time, otherwise, he would be declared absconder and trial would be held against him in absentia.
The NAB had filed a reference against Mir Shakil and others. Besides Mir Shakil, former PM Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general Humayun Faiz, former Director Land Development Mian Bashir Ahmed had been named as the accused in Rs 143.5 million reference.
The NAB had alleged that Mir Shakil obtained illegal exemption of 54 plots of 1-Kanal each in Johar Town Lahore, with the connivance of Nawaz Sharif, the then chief minister of Punjab, in violation of the exemption policy in 1986.