The Supreme Court on Tuesday summoned Nawaz Sharif in a case related to transfer of land of the Pakpattan shrine in 1985. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was hearing a suo motu case pertaining to illegal construction of shops on the land of Pakpattan shrine and the transfer of 8,000 kanals to Dewan Ghulam Qutab in 1985. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was the chief minister of Punjab when the land belonging to the Auqaf department was transferred. Sharif was earlier issued notices by the court in the suo motu case. During the last hearing of the case, the court was informed that 8,000 kanals of land of the Pakpattan shrine was sold to Dewan Ghulam Qutab as per an order in 1985, but the Auqaf department later declared it a charitable endowment. The apex court had questioned under which law permission was granted to construct stores on the Auqaf land.
The court said that then Punjab chief minister Nawaz Sharif had withdrawn the notification of allotment of land of the Pakpattan shrine. However, a lawyer representing Sharif argued that the former chief minister did not sign the de-notification summary. The apex court has now ordered Nawaz Sharif to personally appear before it on December 4.
Published in Daily Times, November 14th 2018.
