Nawaz Sharif denies allegatons of illegally allotting shrine land

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday denied allegations of illegally transferring a part of Pakpattan shrine land during his tenure as the chief minister of Punjab province in 1985.

The former Pakistan Prime Minister was accompanied by his defence counsel and senior Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, as he arrived at the country's Supreme Court. Sharif appeared before a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar in Pakistan's top court, reported Express Tribune.

In his response to the three-judge bench, the three-time Pakistan prime minister requested to refer the matter to anyone except a Joint Investigation Team (JIT). The Supreme Court, thereby, gave Sharif seven days and asked him to propose an alternative way of investigating the case.

Sharif is accused of violating a Lahore High Court (LHC) verdict of December 17, 1969 by alloting1800 kanals of Auqaf Department land attached to the shrine of Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Masud Ganj Shakar in Pakpattan to the Dewan Ghulam Qutab, the Express Tribune report further stated.

In 2015, former Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk, while hearing a related matter, had taken a suo motu cognizance of the matter pertaining to violation of order by the LHC.

"I am sure that Sharif does not even have an idea what the case is all about," Dawn quoted CJP Nisar as saying in the previous hearing of the case.

In his reply, Sharif had requested discharge of the notice issued to him, saying that it was a very old matter, about 32 years ago and therefore he himself couldn't recall whether he had passed any such orders.

The judge bench had termed Sharif's answer to be vague and therefore asked him to personally come and explain the matter before the court.