An accountability court on Monday indicted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and nine others in the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing scandal case. The leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and other suspects appeared before the court in Lahore as Judge Syed Najamul Hassan heard the case. The judge then framed charges against Shehbaz and the nine other suspects, including former principal secretary to prime minister Fawad Hassan Fawad. The opposition leader and the other suspects rejected the charges and decided to contest the allegations. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Shehbaz on October 5, 2018, in connection with the Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme case. The PML-N president was released from sub-jail on February 15, a day after the Lahore High Court granted him bail in Ashiana Iqbal and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases.
Meanwhile, NAB on Monday filed a new reference in the accountability court against Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in connection with the Ramzan Sugar Mills case, a private TV channel reported. The father-son duo has been nominated as primary accused in the reference. According to NAB, Shehbaz Sharif, being chief minister of Punjab, had issued a directive for the construction of a drain in Chiniot district primarily to benefit the sugar mills owned by his sons. The PML-N president misused his authority as chief minister to benefit factories owned by his sons. The watchdog alleged that Shehbaz and Hamza have ‘fraudulently and dishonestly’ caused a loss of Rs 213 million to the national exchequer. It claimed to have obtained ‘sufficient incriminating’ material and evidence during investigation and prayed the court to try and punish the accused. Both Shehbaz and Hamza have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Report said that Shehbaz Sharif will be travelling to London for a few days to visit his ailing granddaughter. He will be visiting his son Hamza’s daughter, who was born two weeks ago and was diagnosed with cardiac disease and operated on last week, according to a private TV channel. The PML-N president is likely to leave for London on Tuesday (today). His son Hamza is already in London with his newborn daughter.
Published in Daily Times, February 19th 2019.
