The Lahore High Court on Monday resumed hearing a petition filed against the continued detention of Jang/Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakilur Rahman, where it directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to submit new response regarding his bail.
MSR was arrested by the National Accountability Court earlier this month on trumped up charges relating to a property purchased more than three decades ago.
A two-member bench of the court has been hearing the case pertaining to the arrest and extension in remand of the veteran journalist. In the previous hearing, the court had asked NAB to submit clause-wise explanations to the questions raised by the court.
The NAB prosecutor submitted a response to the original petition in the court on Monday.
Upon appearance on March 12, the arrest warrants of MSR were issued from Karachi while the investigation was being carried out in Lahore, said the lawyer.
While referring to the extension in the remand, he said that the accountability court did not mention the reasons behind the decision.
The court, subsequently, adjourned the case until Thursday, while asking NAB to submit fresh response in the proceedings.
Meanwhile the NAB has allowed MSR to meet his ailing brother and Roznama Jang Editor Mir Javed Rahman, after news surfaced of him being critically ill. “MSR can go to Karachi for one day to visit his ailing brother, however, he will remain under NAB detention,” said the statement.
The NAB statement came after Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari requested the bureau to allow MSR to meet his brother on humanitarian grounds.
“Without seeking to, or even seeming to interfere in any way with the independence of NAB, as Minister for Human Rights I would request you to consider not opposing a 48-hour parole for Mir Shakil ur Rahman to allow him to see his critically ill brother, as his case for bail come up before the LHC,” she wrote.
Javed Rahman is being treated at a private hospital in Karachi. According to the hospital report, he is suffering from lung cancer.
