ISLAMABAD, January 15: A new report presented in the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday by the joint investigation team (JIT) – constituted to probe the transfer of Pakpattan shrine land – accused ousted premier Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif of illegally allotting Auqaf Department land.
Nawaz Sharif had earlier denied the charges and had claimed that he was involved in no such deed during his tenure as Punjab’s chief minister 30 years ago. During Tuesday’s hearing of the case, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was irked by the former premier’s repeated denial and warned that the apex court may approach the anti-corruption watchdog to register a case.
JIT head Hussain Asghar further informed the court that land that was originally set out for Hujra Shah Mukeem and Darbar Hafiz Jamal was also illegally allotted.
The chief justice said the land was illegally allotted in 1986 and reiterated that if an investigation is launched, no one will be able to save themselves. He also wondered how and why was the land allotted illegally while lamenting that “crooks” acquired the land and then sold it forward.
Asghar alleged that Nawaz illegally allotted all the land during his tenure as the chief minister of Punjab, while also informing the court that two inquiry reports were issued in 2015 and 2016 respectively, with only the first one containing Nawaz’s name.
Justice Nisar was quick to dismiss the possibility of a third report and said that times have changed. – Sabah
