Naeem Ijaz denies involvement in murder case, says political rivals tarnishing his name

Punjab Parliamentary Secretary and PML-N MPA Naeem Ijaz has denied any involvement in the murder case registered against him, calling the allegations politically motivated and an attempt to tarnish his reputation.

Speaking at a news conference after obtaining bail on Monday, Naeem Ijaz said a video circulating on social media falsely accuses him of being present at the scene of the murder.

“The councilor whose statement is being spread online belongs to PTI. My name and honor are being dragged into this for political opposition,” he claimed.

Ijaz said he and his brother did not visit the village on the day of the incident, adding that the dispute began when Saqlain and others armed with sticks stopped one of his employees’ vehicles and beat the driver.

“Our employees were unarmed. According to them, the firing was carried out by Saqlain’s own servant, and even our worker was shot in the foot,” he stated.

He said they handed over their employees and the vehicle to police and have also filed a separate complaint. “We found out about the incident 45 minutes later. Video evidence and CDR data is proving we were not at the scene,” he said, appealing to the Punjab IG, RPO, and CPO to conduct a fair and transparent inquiry.

Naeem Ijaz alleged that propaganda was being spread against his party and family, recalling that during the PTI regime, he also faced politically motivated cases. “We own 2,000 kanals of land in the area, while they have just 10 marlas. I’ve told them repeatedly to take whatever space they need,” he said, adding that the land dispute was being exploited for political point-scoring.

The PML-N lawmaker clarified that no Afghan nationals were ever employed on his sites. “Five Afghans who were driving trawlers were found and removed immediately,” he added.

He said he would soon brief the senior party leadership about the entire episode and request them to form an internal inquiry into the allegations.

It may be recalled that a murder case has been registered against Naeem Ijaz on the complaint of Muhammad Saqlain, brother of the deceased Muhammad Hasnain.

According to the FIR, the victim was allegedly shot and beaten with an iron rod during a dispute over land occupation, and succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital. The FIR claims the attack was carried out on the instructions of MPA Naeem Ijaz.