NAB team in London hosted by Sheikh Rasheed’s aide

LONDON: A senior official and close friend of Awami Mulsim League (AML) leader Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed accommodated two members of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that visited London for a week to probe the ownership of Avenfield apartments owned by Nawaz Sharif’s sons, Hasan and Hussain Nawaz.

A source in the NAB who drew attention towards the pictures which were released by Mansoor Kiyani, AML’s official and aide of Sheikh Rasheed in the UK, on a social media site and expressed concern that the NAB officers had created serious doubts about their conduct by indulging in political activities while being on an official assignment. Pictures show NAB investigating officers Sultan Nazir and Imran Dogar posing with Mansoor Kiyani at the west London’s Pakistani restaurant.

The NAB source told that the NAB officers violated the official protocol by holding meetings with politicians while on official business of sensitive nature which involved investigation against Nawaz Sharif and his children.

Pictures show Mansoor Kiyani at a West London restaurant with Sultan Nazir and Imran Dogar wwho were supposedly in London to investigate the Avenfield apartments and to hold meetings with the British government officials.

Mansoor Kiyani told The News that he took the NAB officials out for dinner because they were “friends for a long time”.

He said: “I have known Irfan Dogar as a friend and there is nothing wrong in holding meeting, going out and having fun.”

Just around a week earlier at the same venue – Nawaz Restaurant in Ealing – AML leader Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed addressed a press conference where Mansoor Kiyani stood by him. Mansoor Kiyani has been working for Sheikh Rasheed for a long time and.

“I hosted the NAB team but we didn’t discuss anything about the official business and it was just a reunion of friends”.

A source in Pakistan High Commission said that the two NAB officers didn’t contact them for facilitation and it couldn’t comment on their activities in London.

It has been learnt that the NAB team members were taken around London by Mansoor Kiyani in his car and he remained with the NAB officials for almost four days. During the Panama hearings it was revealed that Wajid Zia hired his own cousin Akhtar Raja at the expensive rates for JIT probe in London. Nawaz Sharif had objected to this hiring in a speech and said that the JIT head attempted to help his cousin at the expense of Pakistani taxpayers’ money.