PML-N's CEC terms Shehbaz's arrest a revenge tactic

Dunya News

The majority of partys leadership proposed protest against NAB along with other political parties

LAHORE (Dunya News) – A meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Central Executive Committee (CEC) on Monday decided to protest along with other political parties against actions of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The meeting held at the party’s main center in Model Town was presided over by the former prime Minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to devise its future course of action in the wake of arrest of its party president Shehbaz Sharif.

During the meeting, party’s leadership termed the actions of the anti-graft watchdog a revenge tactic.

The majority of the party’s leadership proposed to take along other opposition parties and demonstrate against the NAB’s actions.

Sources said that it was also decided to hold consultations with all political parties except the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The former prime minister asked party leaders to give their suggestions one by one.

On the occasion, Nawaz Sharif also reacted angrily to the arrest of party president Shehbaz Sharif.

The meeting also decided to put up strong resistance in case of rigging in by-polls.

Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Hamza Shahbaz and ex-National Assembly (NA) speaker Ayaz Sadiq attended the meeting.

Earlier, the PML-N supremo met Shehbaz Sharif in National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Lahore office to discuss future strategy.

The anti-graft agency had arrested Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif in the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme scam on October 5. The former chief minister was charged with awarding illegal contracts to his favorite firm.

Shahbaz was apprehended during his appearance before NAB in Saaf Pani Company scam. Sources told that three files were tabled before him. The Bureau quizzed Sharif regarding a tender awarded to a private consultancy company for a survey of the Saaf Pani company.

The PML-N president had failed to satisfy the probing team of the bureau during the investigation and was ultimately arrested.

The anti-graft watchdog has claimed that the company did not conduct any kind of survey but nevertheless was provided a lucrative sum of Rs 1.5 billion.