The Lahore High Court (LHC) has granted pre-arrest bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz ahead of a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) hearing on Friday.
In her plea submitted to the high court, Maryam’s counsel Azam Nazeer Tarar urged the court to hold a hearing on the matter today. “NAB has a tradition of arresting people by inviting them to appear before it,” the plea said.
In the plea, Maryam claimed that NAB wants to arrest her due to “pressure” from the government. She added that the watchdog was targeting political rivals on the instructions of the government.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior has declared the NAB office in Lahore “red zone” ahead of the hearing of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Friday.
The NAB had asked the Punjab government for security on the day of the hearing, citing fears of a potential attack on its headquarters. The sub-committee on law and order of the provincial government reportedly agreed. Along with police contingents, Rangers personnel will also be deployed on the premises of the NAB headquarters on Thursday and Friday.
The PML-N vice president has been asked to appear before NAB on Friday in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills and another case that pertains to the purchase of land in Raiwind.
