LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned the Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Hamza Shehbaz to appear before it in Ramzan Sugar Mills case on Monday (tomorrow).
The PML-N leader has been summoned as a chief executive of the mills.
Earlier this week, an accountability court in Lahore had indicted Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference.
Hamza Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif are currently on bail in the reference. Both were awarded bails by the Lahore High Court (LHC).
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed a reference, accusing the former Punjab chief minister, Hamza Shehbaz and others for causing loss to the national exchequer and misusing his authority by sanctioning construction of a bridge to facilitate his sugar mill.
NAB officials said Shehbaz, being chief minister of Punjab, misused his authority by issuing directives for the construction of a 10-kilometre-long drain in Chiniot district primarily to benefit the sugar mills his sons owned. Shehbaz and Hamza have been accused of fraudulently causing a loss of Rs213 million to the national exchequer.
In addition, NAB had also summoned Shehbaz Sharif’s wife and his two daughters in the assets beyond means case on April 17, 18th and 19th.
The accountability watchdog has also recommended putting their names on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL), barring them from leaving the country.
After NAB’s move, Hamza addressed a press conference, saying, “NAB has been politicised and it has become clear that it’s a tool being used by the government to victimise us.”
The PML-N leader had said the anti-graft body was quick to issue notices to the Sharif family “but quivers to take action against the flagrant corruption perpetrated by the leaders sitting in the government”.
The government, he said, had not only ruined the economy but also broken the back of the public with the increase in utility prices.
PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb also questioned the constitutional validity of the action.
Responding to allegations hurled by Hamza and Marriyum, a NAB press release stated that the bureau’s team went to the residence to serve the notice for April 16.
It had said the only police vehicle there was for the security of the team and the residence of the opposition leader’s daughter was not raided. The NAB Lahore said there was no truth in reports of a laying siege to the residence.