Will apologise, go home if son’s graft proved, says Shehbaz
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) President Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that that the state agencies were wasting the precious time of the court by filing a "fake case" against him.
During the hearing of a money laundering case against him and his son in the accountability court, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly said that he stayed in jail for seven months, and during this time, FIA officials visited him twice.
The opposition leader further added that it has been four years now and the government is yet to prove a single case of corruption against him, Geo News reported. “I saved nearly Rs1,000 billion of the people and served the poor people of Pakistan. I agree I have committed sins, but they cannot prove the corruption," said Shehbaz.
Shehbaz alleged that the Saaf Pani case was highlighted to defame him, “I was arrested in another case and kept in NAB's penitentiary, however, I am glad that all suspects were acquitted in Saaf Pani case.”
He further added former FIA director general Bashir Memon had said it on record that the prime minister had asked him to file a case against Shehbaz Sharif. “I swear to God if it is proven that Suleman Shehbaz has done fraud with a Turkish company then I will apologise and go home,” he maintained.
The Opposition leader said that a "fake case" has been filed against him and he should be informed where the corruption was done. “The documents which have been presented in the court were also submitted to UK's most prestigious National Crime Agency (NCA),” he stated.
It is pertinent to mention that NCA dropped a high-profile investigation into Shehbaz and his son after finding no evidence of money laundering, criminal conduct and misuse of public office.
Shehbaz further added that these documents have been compiled by FIA, National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and Asset Recovery Unit (ARU), lamenting that he stayed in exile for four years. “If I had ill-gotten money then why would I come back to Pakistan,” he said, adding that when he had returned he was sent back from the next flight.
Speaking in the court, the FIA lawyer questioned whether this statement of Shahbaz was final, to which the PMLN leader said that he was addressing the court and not the lawyer. Meanwhile, Shahbaz’s lawyer Ata Tarar told the prosecutor that he should not teach them, which led to an argument amongst the lawyers of the two sides. The argument was stopped after the court intervened between the two parties.
Continuing, Shahbaz alleged that PM Imran Khan's former adviser on accountability, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, had an article printed against him in the Daily Mail; after which the ministers attacked him.
He added that after nearly two-and-a-half years the NCA dropped the inquiry against me. In Friday's hearing, the suspects, including Shehbaz and Hamza, could not be indicted in the special court, after which the court extended the interim bail of the suspects till February 28.
Talking to the media after the hearing the leader of the opposition said the joint opposition would announce the details of the no-confidence motion when the time comes. When asked about why the National Assembly session was delayed, Shahbaz claimed that the session of the lower house was delayed as the government was hoping he would be indicted on February 18.
The PMLN leader claimed that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had requested that the hearing date be set between February 17-19 so he could make an excuse about the NA session before the court. “When the court rejected the FIA’s request they changed the date of the assembly session,” claimed Shahbaz.
Separately, PMLN senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, meanwhile addressing the media in the federal capital, said that his sympathies were with Murad Saeed whose honor had been violated.
He said that he did not feel any sympathy for Mohsin Baig, and mentioned that “my sympathy is for the Federal Minister whose honor was taken away”. Murad Saeed should have raised the issue in the Parliament, he went to FIA instead of going to Parliament.
Abbasi said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif endured everything and did not insult anyone. Every day a new flood of inflation comes on the people. The army of ministers and advisers should tell the people about reducing inflation. Today they are not ready to listen to Imran Khan, the PMLN leader said.
He went on to say that, the government has failed, there will be complete victory in no-confidence motion, the prime minister himself has admitted his failure, in the previous government the price of petrol had gone up to 120 dollars, the price of petrol and diesel had never gone above Rs110.
