SC removes PTI MPA from ECL for performing Umrah

LAHORE: The Supreme Court (SC) on Saturday allowed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s MPA Malik Nadeem Abbas Bara for performance of Umrah and directed the interior ministry to remove his name from the exit control list (ECL).

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had previously ordered placing Bara on the no-fly list following a suo motu notice against him for resorting to firing into the air and beating up policemen.

On Saturday, Bara appeared before the chief justice and requested for removal of his name form the ECL, pleading that he wanted to perform umrah.

Before allowing the request, Chief Justice Nisar told Bara that PTI’s federal minister for science & technology Azam Swati had tendered resignation the other day, and he (Bara) should also consider that option. The CJ also advised Bara to never indulge in land-grabbing in future.

Hanjarwal police had lodged a case against MPA Bara, elected from PP-161, Lahore, his brother and supporters on charges of resorting to firing into the air and torturing a police team. The police said the suspects attacked SHO Hanjarwal and his driver with clubs and threatened them of dire consequences. The police officials were shifted to hospital with multiple injuries.

Later the trial court had granted bail to Bara.

Remand: An accountability court on Saturday sent former chairman of Lahore Parking Company (LPC) Hafiz Mian Nauman to jail on judicial remand in a case of awarding illegal contracts of parking lots.

The NAB prosecutor told the court that investigation had been completed and further custody of the accused was not required. At this, the court sent the accused on judicial remand. The court turned down a request of Nauman’s counsel to send his client to central jail Kot Lakhpat instead of Camp Jail.

The bureau alleged that Nauman, also a former MPA of the PML-N, misused his powers and was involved in illegal contracts of 246 parking lots. It said Nauman was chairman of the parking company when it was established in 2013. It said Nauman and other suspects were guilty of causing a loss of over Rs1 billion to the national exchequer.