Sindh Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and recorded his statement about Thatta Sugar Mills in the fake accounts case.

Murad was scheduled to appear before NAB on March 26, however, his appearance was arranged for today upon his request.

NAB's officials grilled the chief minister for about an hour-and-a-half. Murad came to the NAB office along with PPP's Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and others.

Talking to reporters after being questioned, Murad said the NAB officials questioned him about Thatta Sugar Mills and that he responded to all the queries.

He further said that he had assured NAB officials of his cooperation in the investigation.

Speaking alongside him, Khokhar criticised the PTI government for what he termed the "locking down" of the federal capital on Monday.

He said that their party (PPP) had not given any call to workers to show up at the NAB office and the government "wasted public money" on security arrangements.

Qaim Ali Shah seeks pre-arrest bail

Also on Monday, PPP leader and former Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah filed a petition seeking pre-arrest bail in the fake accounts case. A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) will take up his petition on Tuesday (tomorrow).

Shah, who is scheduled to appear before NAB on Wednesday, expressed apprehensions that NAB officials may arrest him upon his appearance before the investigation team, and requested the IHC to grant him pre-arrest bail.

The former chief minister was named in a report by the joint investigation team tasked to probe the case. He was among 172 people named in the report whose names were to be placed on the no-fly list.

The senior politician in his petition contended that he was being politically victimised through the case, and claimed that he had been dragged into the case without any solid evidence.

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Shah said that he had been politically active since 1960 when he was elected chairman of the Khairpur district council and then successfully contested the general elections.

He said that he was the longest-serving chief minister of Sindh and had completed eight consecutive years in office.

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The former chief minister sought bail on the grounds that he is a senior citizen. The petition stated that Shah is 85 years old and is entitled to pre-arrest bail due to his age.

The PPP leader, in his petition, cited chairman and director NAB and director general of the Federal Investigation Agency as respondents. The court will take up the petition tomorrow.