The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore Tuesday entered Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shahbaz Sharif Model Town residence H-97 to arrest him in a money laundering and income beyond means case.
A larger number of PML-N leaders and workers including Azma Bokhari, Marryum AUrangzeb and others were also present outside the leader’s residence. A heavy contingent of police was deployed outside Shahbaz Sharif's house before the arrival of the NAB team. Anti-riot Force and police from all police stations of Model Town Division have been called.
The NAB team reached at the residence of the Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif after the latter refused to appear before NAB to record his statement in the case.
A four-member NAB team, including three women officers and led by NAB Deputy Director Chaudhry Muhammad Asghar was there. However, the NAB team has to left empty-handed as Shahbaz Sharif was not present at his Model Town residence. Consequently, NAB team left for his Jatti Umrah residence to continue the hunt for the opposition leader's arrest.
Earlier, Shahbaz Sharif tweeted: “Very well-articulated. only goes to establish how confused & patchy the government's thinking is vis-a-vis lockdown & social distancing strategy. An approach not supported by evidence & rational decision making is leading to colossal tragedy.”
Opposition leader in NA Shahbaz Sharif had received the summons notice by the NAB in assets and money laundering case, but he did not appear to record his statement and said he was a cancer patient and also avoiding to expose himself due to the spread of coronavirus.
Instead of appearing, Shahbaz Sharif sent a reply through his former correspondent. Shahbaz's representative Muhammad Faisal submitted a detailed reply to NAB and pleaded that inquiries can be made via video link or Skype.
Shahbaz in a letter said he came to know about NAB high-profile officials’ corona positive cases through media and he wished for their speedy recovery. NAB officials reviewed the response thoroughly.
"Please appreciate I am a cancer survivor and 69 years old. I have been advised limited exposure on account of the peculiar background of low immunity," he said.
Opposition leader Mian Shahbaz Sharif, on the other hand, had also filed an application in the Lahore High Court for interim bail in the Assets and Money Laundering case.
A two-member bench of the Lahore High Court headed by Justice Tariq Abbasi will hear the case tomorrow (Wednesday).
Shahbaz Sharif had taken a stand in the petition that he started his career as a businessman in 1972 and has been involved in the business of agriculture, sugar and textile industry. He entered practical politics in 1988 while NAB misappropriated assets in excess of income has made a case against him.
The petition said that due to the political influence of the present government, the NAB has started an inquiry.
“All the allegations levelled by the NAB are of general nature and he was arrested in the same case in 2018 as well. I made full cooperation but NAB did not provide any evidence of abuse of power,” Shahbaz said.
Earlier PML-N leaders addressing a press conference said that they were not fear of kind of arrests.
PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb lambasted the government and the anti-corruption watchdog.
Talking to media she said the NAB-Niazi nexus was being used.
"Nobody criticises Imran Khan, no one arrests Buzdar. This circus is being done to distract [the people from] corruption and theft, to fool the Pakistani people. It does not make a difference to the PML-N. This is the response to corona, this is the response to the Rs3 billion sugar that was looted from the people. This circus is being played out because they don't have the courage to summon Imran Khan or to arrest him and Buzdar."
She added that the party will continue to speak out against the "inefficient, ineligible" government.