A court in the capital of Punjab on Monday acquitted Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, editor of Jang Geo Media Group, in a 34-year-old land case.
Accountability court judge Asad Ali also acquitted all of the defendants named in the case and noted that no charges had been proven against them.
In a 20-page judgement, the court ordered relevant authorities to relinquish all properties confiscated from Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman.
“There is no evidence in the record that Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman facilitated the crime. Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman and co-defendants Humayun Faiz and Mian Bashir have been acquitted,” the verdict reads.
He said co-defendants Humayun Faiz and Bashir Ahmed were not charged with fraud. The decision said that sending the summary to DG LDA could not be considered evidence of fraud against Humayun Faiz and Bashir Ahmed.
During the last hearing, Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman’s attorney, Amjad Pervez, filed a motion with the court under Article 265-K for his client’s acquittal.
He asked the court to declare his client innocent as there was nothing in the evidence against him.
In November 2020, the Supreme Court granted bail to Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman in a property case.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Jang’s landlord on March 12, 2020 in connection with the alleged illegal exemption of 54 plots in H-Block, Johar Town Phase II, Lahore, which was granted by the General Power of Attorney. Assigned due to pregnancy. Hidayat Ali and Hikmat Ali were raped by then Punjab Chief Minister Nawaz Sharif
Rehman’s attorney also said that NAB Chairman Javed (Retired), Justice Javed Iqbal had not issued an arrest warrant against the Land Department Director and DG LDA.
The Supreme Court has granted Shakeel’s request to post bail of Rs 100 million.
The Lahore High Court had earlier rejected Rehman’s bail after which he appealed the decision to the High Court.
