NAB decides to open another inquiry against Shehbaz Sharif

The PML-N president is accused of illegal allotment of Cholistan Authority’s land.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday while taking action against Leader of Opposition in National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif, decided open another corruption case inquiry.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the anti-graft watchdog’s Executive board s meeting in Islamabad, presided over by chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal.

The PML-N president is accused of illegal allotment of Cholistan Authority’s land.

The anti-graft agency chairman also approved filing of six corruption references, while any inquiry has also been approved against former federal minister Baligh-ur-Rehman.

The bureau approved filing of illegal contract reference against Sikander Javed and others in Saaf Pani case.

Read Also: NAB tightens noose around Shehbaz Sharif, freezes family assets

The declaration of the NAB executive board meeting further stated that reference against former Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) chairperson Farzana Raja has been approved while the bureau also approved legal action against Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader Nisar Khuhro over corruption charges.

The NAB also approved an investigation into assets beyond known sources of income owned by PML-N’s National Assembly member Rana Sanaullah – the former law minister who is under judicial remand in narcotics case.

Later, the NAB chief said that priority of NAB was to eradicate corruption from the country besides recovering the looted money from plunderers.

“NAB is now concentrating on taking mega corruption cases to their logical conclusion,” he said.

By pursuing the policy of Accountability for All, he said, NAB had recovered Rs 73 billion directly or indirectly over the last 25 months.

The NAB chief said the bureau had filed 630 corruption references in accountability courts over the past 25 months and it was striving to recover billions of rupees looted from the people.

He said 1,270 corruption references involving Rs910 billion were currently being heard in different accountability courts of the country.

Iqbal directed all directors general to ensure completion of complaint verifications, inquiries and investigations within the prescribed timeframe.

The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) had arrested Mr Khan on July 1 and claimed to have recovered 15kg heroin from his possession.

The FIR was lodged under section 9 (C) of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997, which carries death penalty or life imprisonment or a jail term that may extend to 14 years, along with a fine up to Rs1 million.