LAHORE: The PPP has criticised the bail granted to former Punjab senior minister Abdul Aleem Khan, who is facing a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference in assets beyond means case.

“The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government has secured the release of Aleem Khan in an organised way as the bail granted to the former minister speaks volumes of the one-sided accountability process under way in the country,” PPP Punjab Information Secretary Hassan Murtaza said in a statement here on Wednesday.

He claimed that had the NAB pursued the case properly, Mr Khan would not have managed to secure his release on bail. He asserted that now the NAB could not claim that it was an independent body conducting accountability impartially and neutrally.

Mr Murtaza further said PPP leader Sharjeel Memon was in NAB custody for two years as the top corruption watchdog was so far unable to prove any allegation against the former provincial minister, whereas former federal minister Dr Asim also suffered humiliation at the hands of the accountability agency.

Referring to former president Asif Ali Zardari’s statement, he said the PPP co-chairperson rightly said that NAB and economy could not go together.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2019