NAB’s anti-Nawaz press release is its chairman’s desperate plea for extension: Marriyum

ISLAMABAD: Secretary Information Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Marriyum Aurangzeb said the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) recent press release against the party supremo Nawaz Sharif was a desperate plea by Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal for an extension in his tenure.

The bureau initiated a legal process to recover the approximately Rs1.85 billion fine in the Avenfield apartments case from Sharif by ordering an immediate sale of his properties.

The anti-corruption watchdog, in a press release, called it a major recovery from a former premier in a corruption case in Pakistan’s history.

In a statement, she alleged that 80% of the NAB press release targeted Sharif as per Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political agenda.

Aurangzeb pointed out that despite a 35-year long political career, service as Pakistan’s former chief minister and prime minister, not a single penny of corruption was proven against Sharif.

“Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif made the country a nuclear power, brought CPEC, built motorways, mass transit projects, hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, and still the PTI’s government could not proof any corruption against him,” said Aurangzeb.

The PML-N leader accused the government of doing nothing but robbing the nation’s vote, sugar, flour, medicines, electricity, gas, wheat, LNG, and petrol.

“They drove millions below the poverty line and unemployed millions all while crushing them under skyrocketing inflation and taxes.”

Sharif’s assets were being used as recovery under a tainted decision of the NAB court that was taken by blackmailing judges with videos. The decision was a product of bribing judges at Serena Hotel, said Aurangzeb.

“The case over which the press release was issued has still not attained finality and is still sub judice.”

“This press release is not a document released by an institution but by an instrument of political victimisation. Imran Khan has been running the most vicious political victimisation campaign in the history of the country. This press release is an expression of the desperation and frustration of the NAB-Niazi alliance that had obliterated all legalities and due process but is still got nothing but embarrassing shut up calls from courts against PML-N leaders”, she said.

Aurangzeb continued that the NAB statement discussed recovering Rs538 billion of the public money but gave zero details. While demanding details in this regard, she said the people of Pakistan have a right to know how much money was made by Imran’s “touts, frontmen, and agents” in this fiasco.

“Why doesn’t NAB act so rigorously and aggressively over the Rs450 billion theft of public flour? Why does the NAB chairman turn a blind eye over Rs800 billion theft in sugar? Why doesn’t he question how millions were spent on Imran’s Zaman Park residence and the illegally regularisation of the Bani Gala Palace? Why is he blindfolded over Rs400 billion theft in LNG, the Helicopter and the foreign funding cases?” the former information minister questioned.

Aurangzeb lashed out at the government and the NAB over the Broadsheet case in which, she said, the nation paid Rs250 million and Rs9 billion and was still in debt of Rs300 million legal fee. She demanded every nitty-gritty of the case be made public.

She said this circus won’t be allowed to run anymore and that the people of Pakistan won’t be fooled by any diversions.