LHC rejects NAB's plea to stop Maryam coming with political workers
LAHORE (92 News) – The Lahore High Court (LHC) has on Thursday rejected the NAB's plea seeking orders for directing PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz to visit the NAB office without other political leaders and workers.
After getting interim bail by Maryam Nawaz, the NAB also knocked on the doors of the LHC seeking orders directing her to visit the NAB office along with at most two people and not with other political workers and other leaders.
The court said in its remarks that every citizen is bound to follow the law which will come into force if any violation is committed by any individual.
NAB's petitioner contended that the respondent, Maryam Nawaz, had not been cooperating with the anti-graft body since she was granted post-arrest bail in the Chaudhary Sugar Mills Case.
"It seems respondent Maryam Nawaz has planned to come to the NAB office with a view to sabotage the investigation process and evade any hearing that may take place before the NAB authorities," the petition further said.
NAB prayed the court that respondent Maryam is directed to appear before NAB alone on March 26 along with a maximum of two persons, who may act as her support staff, out of which one may be an accountant to assist her.
Meanwhilem, the Lahore High Court (LHC) restrained the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from arresting PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills and Raiwind land cases against her.
The high court’s judge Justice Sarfraz Dogar heard the bail petition of Maryam Nawaz today. The LHC judge stopped NAB to arrest Maryam Nawaz and directed NAB to submit its response and approved the interim bail of Maryam Nawaz till April 12.
Earlier, the Punjab government on Tuesday approved the NAB's request to declare its Lahore office as red zone on March 25 and 26 due to PML-N Vice-president Maryam Nawaz’s appearance.
It is noteworthy here that the NAB had sought help from the Punjab government to safe Lahore office building on March 26 when Maryam Nawaz has been summoned.
According to the sources, the Punjab government accepted the request of the anti-graft watchdog body for making special security arrangements during the appearance of the PML-N vice-president on March 26.
On the other hand, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has decided to fully participate in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) rally on the appearance of Maryam Nawaz before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). PPP Central Punjab president Qamar Zaman Kaira will lead the PPP convoy on March 26.
He directed the workers to reach outside the NAB office on March 26.
The long march has been postponed but leaders of all the opposition parties in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) planned a power show in front of NAB Lahore on March 26. While talking to the journalists after the meeting of PDM leadership along with Maryam Nawaz, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that all opposition leaders will accompany PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz to her hearing at the NAB on March 26.
He assured the PML-N vice-president that all PDM leaders will accompany her on March 26 in a show of solidarity. “We will be there with her shoulder-to-shoulder. The thousands of workers will also go together with the PML-N vice president," he added.
