–PPP co-chairman castigates PTI govt for being ‘unable to run the country’
ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Tuesday sent former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on a 13-day physical remand in cases pertaining to the Park Lane property and fake accounts.
During the hearing, the judge asked NAB to make it clear that in how many cases it would arrest Zardari. “All cases were connected with each other and NAB had been asked earlier to take remand of the accused at once,” the judge further said.
NAB prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi informed the judge about the progress in Park Lane investigation and pleaded that there was need of his physical remand for further probe.
The prosecutor said that NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal had issued arrest warrants against Zardari in only two cases. He said that investigation got delay due to National Assembly session.
Zardari’s counsel Farooq H Naek said that if the charges against his client were similar in three cases then NAB should have taken his remand at once to complete the investigation process.
NAB Investigation Officer Muhammad Ali Abro contended that the ways of crime in three cases were different and they couldn’t be investigated together.
Park Lane reference would be filed soon before the court.
Zardari arrived at the rostrum and stated that he had no objection over his long physical remand.
Asif Ali Zardari was accused of purchasing 2,460 kanal in Islamabad near Sangjani at a throwaway price. The property which was purchased in Rs620 million is worth Rs 2 billion.
The land was purchased through the Park Lane Company in which Asif Zardari and PPP’s Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari were amongst the shareholders.
‘PTI IS INCOMPETENT’:
Speaking to media persons after the hearing, the former president criticised the government, saying the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was clueless about running the country. He said
“Now, they have taxed cars as well. They are realising that they are incapable of running the country. It seems like there’s a razor in the monkey’s hands,” he quipped.
He also termed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah’s arrest as an “injustice”.
“What happened with Rana Sanaullah is an injustice, I condemn it. The allegation against him is indecorous,” the PPP chief said.
Commenting on how arrests of the Opposition leaders would continue, the PPP leader said: “We will persistently fight and we are doing so even after turning ourselves in.
However, he chose not to answer a question regarding replacing the Senate chairperson and bade farewell to the journalists.
