The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif’s wife and two daughters in the assets beyond means case.
Nusrat Shehbaz has been asked to appear personally before NAB Lahore on April 17, whereas Rabia Imran will appear on 18th and Javeria Ali will appear on April 19.
Addressing a press conference later in the day, Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz leveled serious allegations against DG NAB Lahore Saleem Shehzad. He said the conduct of the anti-graft watchdog during the last two weeks shows that the body has been assigned to take actions against the Sharif family only. He went on to say that he will approach the apex court against the NAB actions.
Criticising the NAB, Hamza said he has been facing investigations in cases related to the Saaf Pani Company, Ramzan Sugar Mills and assets beyond means for last several months but wondered as to what prompted the watchdog to speed up the process of investigation against him in the past two weeks. He claimed that the DG NAB Lahore has asked him to take back the resolution submitted in the Punjab Assembly regarding his degree. “The DG NAB asked me to enter into a settlement with the government as he said that he is under immense pressure over these cases against me,” he claimed, and added that it is now evident that there is a nexus between NAB and the government as his ailing mother and two sisters have also got notices by the NAB now. “The NAB and police besieged the residence of my sisters. Does it happen in any civilised society?” he lamented.
Hamza was of the view that Naeem Bokari is an old supporter of the PTI and now NAB has acquired his services for cases against the Sharif family. He urged the apex court to summon him as well as DG NAB Lahore for a transparent interrogation.
Meanwhile, denying the allegations of Hamza Shehbaz, the anti-graft watchdog said the DG NAB Lahore never talked to the PML-N leader regarding his degree, adding that the allegations are condemnable. “Hamza Shehbaz is trying to influence the ongoing investigations through such false, baseless and fabricated allegations as NAB has acquired solid evidences of money laundering and holding assets beyond known sources of income against Hamza and his family,” the watchdog said in a statement. “The HEC has verified the degree of DG NAB Lahore and a report in this regard has already been submitted to the Supreme Court,” it added.
The NAB clarified that a team went to the residence of Hamza’s sisters to deliver them the call-up notices in person. “The NAB didn’t raid the residence of Sharif’s daughters and news regarding besiege of the residence is wrong. Only two officials of NAB with a police security van went there to deliver the notices,” it added.
The NAB said that describing its officials’ visit as a raid is a ‘fabricated propaganda by certain sections to tarnish the organisation’. It also asked the media to do live coverage of the residences so that truth can be separated from the exaggeration.
NAB Lahore, meanwhile, has asked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to place the names of both the daughters of Shehbaz Sharif as well as his wife Nusrat Shahbaz on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) since ‘the process of placing their names on the exit control list (ECL) is under process’.