Lahore (Staff Report): National Accountability Bureau (NAB) produced Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif in an Accountability Court in Lahore on Saturday.
The former Punjab chief minister is being represented by his Azam Nazeer Tarar and Amjad Pervez.
Shehbaz was brought to the accountability court in an armoured vehicle that was escorted by a fire brigade, an ambulance and police mobiles.
The PML-N president's sons, Hamza and Salman Shehbaz, are the only ones who have been allowed entry inside the court premises. Meanwhile, PML-N leaders Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khurram Dastgir and Saira Afzal Tarrar are present outside the court as they were not granted entry.
Several PML-N workers gathered outside the accountability court and have been chanting slogans in favour of the party president. On Shehbaz's arrival, the workers climbed up on one of the armoured vehicles.
There were two armoured vehicles, one which entered the court from the backdoor and the other from the front door.
A few PML-N workers managed to enter the accountability court despite being barred entry as they were sitting atop the armoured vehicle. A worker was also injured as he fell from the vehicle and was shifted to the hospital.
Contingents of police, including anti-riot force, have been deployed around the accountability court and roads leading to it have also been blocked.
According to NAB sources, a medical examination of Shehbaz was conducted before taking him to the accountability court and he was declared fit.
On Friday, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif in Ashiana Housing scam.
Shehbaz was arrested after appearing for a routine hearing in the Saaf Pani case earlier today at the accountability body’s Lahore office.
Shahbaz’s blue-eyed officers, Lahore Development Authority former director general Ahad Cheema and Fawad Hasan Fawad, are already in NAB custody in the Ashiana Housing case.
“The PLDC had assigned the low-cost housing scheme of the Punjab government to the LDA through an agreement in January 2015. Mr Cheema, being LDA DG, awarded contract of the project of Rs14bn ‘illegally’ to M/s Casa Developers, a joint venture of three firms M/s Bismillah Engineering Services Co, M/s SPARCO Construction Company and M/s China First Metallurgical Group Co Ltd. The contractor willfully failed to initiate Ashiana-i-Iqbal project over the past three years.”
According to NAB sources, Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar has been informed about arrest of Opposition Leader in the House Shahbaz Sharif.
In a letter, the bureau said investigations are being held against the management and officials of Punjab Land Development Company, Lahore Development Authority and Lahore Casa Developers under the provision of National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.