‘Shehbaz has not been summoned by JIT’

CM has been called to provide details of the Hudabiya Paper Mill case

LAHORE: The Punjab government has clarified that Shehbaz Shairf has not been ‘summoned’ rather he has been called to assist the JIT on June 17 for his acquaintance with details of Hudabiya Paper Mill case.

Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information and Culture Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan denied media reports of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) summoning Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif on June 17 and said the chief minister has been called up by the JIT. He said Shehbaz was called to provide details of the Hudabiya Paper Mill case to a six-member JIT, headed by Federal Investigation Agency’s Additional Director General Wajid Zia.

He said only accused or co-accused could be summoned whereas anybody with the knowledge that could help the investigation move forward can only be called before the JIT for assistance.



The Punjab CM was director of Hudabiya Paper Mills (HPM) in 1999. He was the one who had made settlement with London-based Al-Towfeek Company the same year.

He said the Punjab chief minister was legally bound to assist the JIT and would support the legal course of the investigation. He, however, said retrieving any details of HPM would require lifting Corporate Veil.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, already summoned by the JIT is schedule to appear before JIT on Thursday (today) at Islamabad’s Judicial Academy – which has been temporarily turned into the JIT’s secretariat.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2017.