Money-laundering, assets case: Non-bailable arrest orders for Shahbaz’s wife, daughter

LAHORE; An accountability court on Tuesday granted 14-day physical remand of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in assets beyond means and money-laundering case.

The court also issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Shahbaz’s wife Nusrat Shahbaz and daughter Rabia Imran, both co-accused in similar cases. The non-bailable arrest warrants for Suleman Shahbaz and another co-accused Haroon Yousaf had already been issued by the court in the same reference. The court sought a compliance report from the Foreign Office over serving warrants on the accused in London as well. However, the court accepted an application of Javeria Ali, daughter of Shahbaz and co-accused in the case, seeking permanent exemption from personal appearance before the court.

The NAB Lahore produced Shahbaz before Accountability Court Judge Jawadul Hassan. A large number of PML-N workers welcomed Shahbaz on the accountability court premises. Hamza Shahbaz was not produced in the court from jail as a doctor informed the court that he was tested Covid-19 positive and was in isolation. As the hearing commenced, Shahbaz while addressing the court, said that his counsel would not appear before the court and he would plead his case by himself and sought permission to do so, which was granted.

In his statement, Shahbaz alleged that the NAB-Niazi nexus was playing with the justice system. He said that during the times of his late father, the industrial units were distributed, and inherited properties were transferred to children. “I have no link with industrial units in question and I had submitted all the details in the Lahore High Court,” Shahbaz added. “There is an allegation against me that after my serving as the Punjab chiefminister, assets of my children increased. “But, in reality, during my stint at the Chief Minister office, the industrial units of my children suffered losses,” Shahbaz claimed.

The PML-N chief said “if I had reduced the prices of sugarcane like it was done in Sindh, it would have had benefited the industrial units of my children. But I didn’t do so in order to pass the benefit to farmers of the province.” Shahbaz said that in 2017, the Punjab government decided to give Rs15 subsidy on sugar, “but I refused the proposal as it was public money and referred the matter to the federal government. “I decided that the subsidy will not be given from Punjab kitty. While on the other hand, the Sindh government gave subsidy,” Shahbaz added. “As I didn’t provide subsidy, it caused a loss of Rs900 million to the mill of my son,” Shahbaz claimed.

Shahbaz said he might have committed sins, but Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in his last address, had said that father was not responsible for the deeds of his son and the son was not responsible for the acts of his father. At this moment, the judge asked Shahbaz as to how his decisions financially benefitted the national kitty. He replied that his decisions benefited in billions and those billions were spent on education and health. Shahbaz claimed that there was no Excise Duty on ethanol in Pakistan, but he imposed it in Punjab which also caused losses to mills of his family members.

Shahbaz said his father used to go to college in the day and worked at an iron factory in the evening. Shahbaz claimed that in 1972, Ittefaq Foundry was the biggest industrial unit of Pakistan. However, when it was nationalised in 1972, not a single penny was given as compensation. “After that, my father established six new industrial units,” Shahbaz claimed. He said that in 1979, Ittefaq Foundry was given back to Mian Sharif, but till then it had been turned into ruins. Shahbaz said that in 1996, Ittefaq Foundry was turned engineered default. “Whosoever politically victimised us is history now,” Shahbaz added.

Shahbaz said the Sharif family in 2014 wrote a letter to the Lahore High Court that they wanted to return each and every penny of the loan they ever obtained from the banks. After that all the loans were paid, Shahbaz claimed. He claimed that during all of his tenures he didn’t take salary and gave it instead as a donation to Gulab Devi Hospital and other charity organisations.

The judge asked Shahbaz whether on his report, NAB would look into the matter. To which, Shahbaz said that NAB had already investigated but they would not speak. However, the NAB prosecutor argued that Shahbaz was given many questionnaires and he had admitted that his children were dependent on him. Shahbaz was asked questions after his arrest yesterday (Monday) but he refused to answer, the prosecutor added.

The prosecutor implored the court to grant physical remand of Shahbaz Sharif to complete the investigation. The court, after hearing Shahbaz and NAB prosecutor, reserved the decision for a while and later granted 14-day physical custody of Shahbaz to NAB. Shahbaz would be produced before the court on Oct 13.