An accountability court on Thursday granted permission to Punjab police to record statement of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Model Town case.
Judge Arshad Malik conducted hearing on a plea filed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Muhammad Iqbal seeking court permission to interrogate the three-time prime minister in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail, where he is serving a seven-year imprisonment in the Al-Azizia reference.
However, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Prosecutor Mirza Usman opposed the request and pleaded that the accountability court was not the proper forum to seek such permission. He pleaded that the petitioner should approach the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in this regard.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge allowed the police to visit Nawaz in Lahore jail.
The Supreme Court had earlier ordered the formation of a new joint investigation team (JIT) to unearth the facts that led to the killing of 14 supporters of Dr Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in a police action in Lahore on June 17, 2014. On March 7, the newly formed JIT had summoned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and party leaders Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Asif and Pervaiz Rasheed to record their statements.
Published in Daily Times, March 15th 2019.
