LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau has announced to postpone the hearing of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz scheduled for tomorrow due to rising coronavirus cases.
According to a press statement issued by NAB today, a meeting was held today to discuss the hearing tomorrow alongside the recommendations provided by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC). The meeting was informed that NCOC has banned gatherings of all kinds.
The anti-corruption watchdog in a statement said that the new date for Maryam’s hearing will be announced later at an “appropriate time”.
“In view of public interest, NAB has taken the principled decision that accused Maryam Nawaz’s appearance in NAB Lahore tomorrow has been postponed,” read the statement, adding that a new date for her appearance would be announced at “an appropriate time”.
The meeting also decided to direct the NAB administration to reverse all security measures that were being taken in preparation for the appearance, according to the handout.
Elaborate security arrangements had been made ahead of Maryam’s appearance, with the NAB Lahore office declared a “red zone” and Punjab Rangers and police directed to provide protection to the bureau staff.
NAB in its request to the government said in the wake of reports related to a possible attack on its building, the authorities concerned must declare its Lahore office ‘red zone’, adding that it was seeking assistance from police and Rangers.
Sources said that Punjab’s cabinet committee on law and order approved declaring the NAB office ‘red zone’ and also ordered the deployment of Rangers and police personnel outside the office on March 25 and 26. In a statement, Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat said that strict action will be taken against those disturbing law and order situations.
NAB had summoned Maryam on Friday in a case related to money laundering and illegal acquisition of land. Following the announcement of the PML-N that all its members in the national and provincial assemblies from Punjab will be accompanying Maryam, the accountability watchdog had sought foolproof security from Rangers and police.
The PDM had pledged its support to Maryam, with the chief of the alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, declaring that supporters numbering in the “hundreds of thousands” will accompany the PML-N leader.
