Shahbaz Sharif excuses himself from NAB appearance

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif Friday asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to grant him an extension for his appearance.

He stated that he was 69 years old, and medical professionals had advised him to restrict his movement due to life-threatening risks associated with COVID-19 as he was a cancer survivor with very low immunity.

He said that the data required by NAB was also unavailable due to the lockdown. NAB had summoned Shahbaz for Friday, asking him to furnish the complete details of his foreign assets and other businesses in a money-laundering case.

In a fresh questionnaire, sent to Shahbaz Sharif, NAB had said multiple call-up notices, along with questionnaires, were issued to the PML-N leader, but his replies were found unsatisfactory, incomplete and evasive.

Shahbaz was also asked to provide complete details of his business income as claimed before the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) along with investment and its volume and expenditures incurred during the period when his Model Town residence was declared the chief minister’s house camp office.

According to PML-N spokesperson Attaullah Tarar, Shahbaz Sharif was a cancer survivor and his health did not permit him to appear before the corruption watchdog amid the current situation of coronavirus.

In response to the summons, Tarar stated that Shahbaz Sharif was earlier detained for 130 days, out of which he spent 61 days in NAB custody where he was interrogated in detail.