ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Court (NAB) on Monday shifted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Captain (r) Safdar to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, after he was presented in the accountability court.
Safdar was arrested by anti-graft body on Sunday, after the accountability court’s verdict on Avenfield reference that handed out one-year prison sentence to the son-in-law of the deposed prime minister.
Strict security measures were in place outside the Federal Judicial Complex in G-11 sector of Islamabad, where the accountability court is situated. The security personnel including police, Rangers, and the elite force were deployed outside the court.
The police confirmed that the convict was presented in the accountability court. He was then sent to Adiala jail where he will be imprisoned for a year.
As Safdar was presented before the court, the media was not allowed to enter the premises. Security personnel manhandled the media persons as they tried to enter the court.
CASE AGAINST SAFDAR, PML-N LEADERS IN RAWALPINDI:
A case was registered against Captain (r) Safdar Awan and 15 other leaders of PML-N in Rawalpindi for violating the Punjab Regulation and Control of Loudspeakers and Sound Amplifiers Ordinance 1965 on Monday.
Safdar, who was absconding after Avenfield verdict, arrived at a PML-N rally at Liaquat road on Sunday. He then disembarked from the vehicle and joined the supporters.
PML-N’s local leaders Shakeel Awan, Senator Chaudhry Tanveer and others took Safdar into their fold and delayed his arrest as a NAB team tried to arrest the convict.
According to the petition, registered by SHO Muhammad Arham at Waris Khan Police Station, PML-N leaders and workers are accused of violating the code of conduct described by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the upcoming elections.
Among the accused are two PML-N candidates contesting in elections for provincial seats from Rawalpindi, while one is contesting for National Assembly seat. PML-N leaders Chaudhary Tanveer, Sheikh Arsalan, Raja Haneef, Daniyal Chaudhary and Ziaullah Shah are nominated in the FIR along with hundreds of unknown party workers.
The case has been registered under Section 149, 147, 188, 341, and 3/7 of the Amplifier Act.
NAB ARRESTS SAFDAR:
On Sunday, after the hours-long drama that ensued in Rawalpindi after Capt (r) Muhammad Safdar arrived to surrender before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the anti-graft watchdog was finally able to arrest him from Sixth Road amid protests of PML-N supporters.
After the arrest, Safdar, however, was allowed to address his supporters, who had gathered around his vehicle to protest the arrest. He will be presented before the accountability court on Monday morning after a medical checkup by doctors present at NAB’s Rawalpindi office.
NAB had obtained arrest warrants against deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Safdar following an accountability court verdict that had sentenced Nawaz, Maryam and Safdar to 10, seven and one years in jail, respectively. Nawaz and Maryam are currently in London but have vowed to return to Pakistan on July 13.