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| 09 April 2004 | Friday | 18 Safar 1425 |
Shahbaz to be arrested on return, says NAB
ISLAMABAD, April 8: Former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif would be arrested on his return because he was wanted in two cases, a spokesman for the National Accountability Bureau told Dawn. The official said political differences between Shahbaz Sharif and the present government or any 'agreement' reached between the Sharif family and the government at the time of their exile was no concern of the bureau.
"We will treat Mr Sharif in accordance with the requirements of the cases being tried by NAB," he added. According to NAB sources, Shahbaz Sharif would have to face two cases which were being tried in accountability courts.
After the departure of the Sharif family to Saudi Arabia, hearing in both the cases was adjourned till Shahbaz Sharif's return to Saudi Arabia. In one of the cases being tried in the Attock accountability court, the former chief minister is facing a charge of depositing ill-gotten money in the accounts opened in the name of another person and the money from these accounts was used to pay off loans of the Sharif companies. This case was filed in 2000.
According to NAB, Mr Sharif was also required in a bank default case involving Rs1.063 billion. The loan was acquired from the National Bank of Pakistan (Wapda house branch) for Ittefaq Foundries.
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has told journalists that the Supreme Court had disposed of Shahbaz Sharif's petitions and he might come back but the law would take its course.
"This is similar to the stand taken by the government from the beginning. Let him come and face the law. Who has stopped him from coming," the minister said. In reply to a question about the reported deal between the government and Sharif family, the minister said: "It is true, I have also seen the contract bearing their signatures."
According to the contract, he said, the Sharifs could neither return to Pakistan nor could they take part in politics for ten years. Mr Rashid said: "As far as the ruling of the apex court is concerned, in my opinion, any Pakistani who wants to come back can do so, if he really wants to."
CHAUDHRY SHUJAAT: PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has said that PML-N leader Mian Shahbaz Sharif may come to Pakistan as a result of some deal, Ihtashamul Haq adds. "But I am sure that he (Shahbaz Sharif) would not come to Pakistan," he said, adding that tall claims being made by the PML-N president and his party workers that he would soon return were just a political gimmick.
Talking to Dawn here on Thursday, Chaudhry Shujaat said that he was absolutely sure that Shahbaz Sharif had no plans, whatsoever, to come to Pakistan and that he was just employing pressure tactics to regain his lost political support in the country. "And we very well know their tactics and politics of gimmicks."
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