Shehbaz Sharif shifted to NAB office in Lahore
A NAB team escorted the PML-N president to the office at Thokar Niaz Baig.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday was shifted to the National Accountability Bureau’s Lahore office after the session of the lower house.
A team of NAB officers, which took Shehbaz into custody in the parliament building in Islamabad, escorted the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president to the office at Thokar Niaz Baig. Strict security measures were put in place.
The opposition leader attended as well as addressed the session of the lower house after getting production orders from National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser.
‘PTI and NAB are arm in arm’
The PML-N president in his address criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan and termed him as a product of rigged elections. He claimed, “My arrest was aimed at getting desired results in the by-polls.”
“It is first time in political history that an opposition leader has been arrested in ungraceful way, however, I would not discuss merit of NAB case against me,” he added.
Speaking about Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing scheme, he said, “I am charged with cajoling former Army Chief Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani.”
“I am charged with awarding Ashiana Housing Scheme contract to Kamran Kiyani but the reality is that Pervaiz Musharraf and Pervez Elahi government gave the contract to Kamran Kiyani and I canceled it.
“NAB has charged me not with corruption but exceeding powers in Ashiana Housing Scheme,” he added.
He said, “NAB summoned me to question about Saaf Pani Case, but arrested me in Ashiana Housing case. NAB has studied the whole case but feigned ignorance about the facts.”
Physical remand extended
An accountability court in Lahore had extended Shehbaz Sharif’s physical remand to the anti-graft watchdog for 14 days after his previous 10-day remand ended on October 16.
On Tuesday, the opposition leader appeared in the court amid strict security arrangements where he claimed innocence in a graft case pertaining to the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing scheme.
Shehbaz maintains he himself ordered investigation into corruption allegations in the housing scheme and denies awarding contracts to a favorite firm.
Arrested
He was arrested on October 5 after appearing before the NAB team in Saaf Paani Company scheme. NAB said Shehbaz failed to satisfy the investigation team regarding a tender awarded to a private consultancy firm and was therefore arrested.
The anti-graft watchdog said the firm did not conduct any kind of survey but nevertheless was provided a lucrative sum of 1.5 billion rupees. It added that Fawad Hassan Fawad, the principal secretary of former premier Nawaz Sharif, had become an approver in the case.
Fawad, in his statement, had claimed that he had awarded a contract to a “favourite firm” in the Rs14 billion Ashiana Housing project at the behest of Shehbaz Sharif.
The anti-graft agency said that the contract for the housing scheme was won by a construction company titled Chaudhry Latif and Sons but Sharif cancelled it and later on awarded the contract to Lahore Casa Developers - a proxy group of Paragon City (Pvt) Limited, which is said to be owned by former Railways minister Saad Rafique.
