Maryam Nawaz arrested by Pak's anti-graft body
Lahore: Maryam Nawaz, Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter, was arrested here on Thursday in a money laundering case while she was visiting her jailed father, an official said.
On July 31, the 45-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam was questioned by the anti-corruption agency officials in connection with the alleged money laundering and income beyond means charges against her and her family.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Maryam from the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore where her father is serving a seven-year prison term since December 24, 2018 after he was convicted in one of the three corruption cases filed in the wake of the apex court's July 28, 2017 order in Panama Papers case.
"We have arrested Maryam Nawaz in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case as she was facing money laundering and income beyond means charges," a NAB official told PTI.
Maryam had been given a questionnaire based on six questions in the CSM case, which she was due to answer by 3pm (local time) on Thursday. However, the NAB officials reached the jail and detained her, the Dawn News reported.
According to the NAB officials, Maryam had excused herself from appearing before the accountability bureau on Thursday and had gone to meet Nawaz in the jail. She is now being taken to the NAB headquarters.
Her arrest came the day after she accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of "fall of Kashmir" and demanded registration of a treason case against him. Besides, she has been challenging the powerful military establishment for installing the Imran Khan government through a stolen mandate.
Maryam had appeared before NAB on July 31 to record her statement in the case. The statement was regarding "dubious" business transactions of the CSM case of which she was one of the major shareholders, the Dawn report said.
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Hospital wall collapse: CM orders suspension of executive engineer; kin of victims get solatium
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer for the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital wall collapse that claimed the lives of seven people, during a high-level review meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
A compensation of Rs 5 lakh, as announced by the CM Siddaramaiah, was distributed to the families of seven victims who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday evening, which occurred due to heavy downpour with gusty winds and hailstorm.
The meeting of municipal commissioners of the five corporations, chaired by the chief minister and attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on fixing accountability and examining lapses that led to the tragedy.
"Why was soil dumped in a way that damaged the wall? Why did you not monitor this?" Siddaramaiah asked, pulling up hospital authorities during the meeting.
A statement from the chief minister's office said that the CM ordered the immediate suspension of the executive engineer of the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project (KHSDP).
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He also questioned the hospital authorities, asking why they failed to monitor the dumping of soil that weakened the structure.
The chief minister directed that a notice be issued to the head of the Hospital.
During the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the rains had caused extensive damage in the city, with over 250 trees uprooted.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to take necessary measures before the onset of the monsoon to avoid untoward incidents.
Commissioners of all five municipal zones in Bengaluru have been asked to take precautionary steps, including trimming dry and dangerous tree branches, the CMO said.
Siddaramaiah also directed them to get the silt cleared from stormwater drains to prevent flooding, and that immediate action be taken to remove debris and fallen branches from roads.
Further, he instructed that barricades be placed at underpasses where water stagnates and restricts public movement.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said in a statement that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad distributed compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased on Thursday.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
Police said the victims, comprising three from Bengaluru, two from Kerala on a study tour and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Assam, had taken shelter near the wall when it suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris.
The chief minister questioned officials over the dumping of soil near the wall despite knowing it could weaken the structure, and directed that a notice be issued to the head of Bowring Hospital.
Siddaramaiah, who had visited the spot soon after the incident along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a detailed probe into the collapse.
