ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif termed the gain by his party in Sunday’s by-elections a message for the future.

“This was unprecedented in the history that the ruling party suffered a defeat in less than two months after formation of its government,” said the former prime minister.

According to him, the government could not control inflation and the US dollar, which never crossed Rs104 during the PML-N regime, had now gone beyond Rs137.

During the PML-N government, the inflation rate was normal and the people were satisfied with the regime, he claimed.

Accountability court begins proceedings in the last NAB reference

Mr Sharif said that the by-elections were held at a time when not only PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif was in jail, but he, along with former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, was also facing a treason case before the Lahore High Court. Saad Rafique was also being harassed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), he alleged.

He said: “While the leadership is facing such problems, the people have came out and voted for the PML-N. I am thankful to Allah and the people of Pakistan who contributed to the PML-N victory more than we expected.”

Meanwhile, an accountability court started the recording of statement of star prosecution witness, Wajid Zia, who headed the Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT), in the Flagship Investment reference.

It is the third and last reference that was instituted against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his children by NAB on the orders of the Supreme Court.

On July 28 last year, the apex court had disqualified Mr Sharif for not declaring unclaimed salary and directed NAB to file three references against the Sharif family and one against former finance minister Ishaq Dar for accumulating assets beyond their known sources of income.

On April 20, the apex court had constituted the JIT comprising officials of the Inter-Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Investigation Agency and NAB.

The apex court had asked the JIT to conclude the probe and submit its report within two months.

Testifying before the accountability court, Wajid Zia said that the Supreme Court had set limited time for the JIT to complete the investigation.

He said the JIT was supposed to investigate sources for the Flagship Investment as well as other companies owned by the son of Mr Sharif, adding that the JIT also probed the assets of the former premier which were allegedly beyond his known sources of income.

Mr Zia submitted the relevant documents before accountability judge Mohammad Arshad Malik.

The defence counsel objected that the documents were not duly certified.

The judge directed the witness to get the documents attested and submit them to the court again.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2018