LAHORE: Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz has satirically advised the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to form a political party if its officers are fond of giving interviews.

“NAB, after forming a political party, should better forge an alliance with Imran Khan. If the interview of NAB chairman [retired justice Javed Iqbal] is a reality, then it is unfortunate,” Hamza told reporters here on Wednesday.

He said earlier the NAB Lahore director general (Saleem Shahzad) had been appearing in TV channels and giving interviews. He reiterated the NAB had failed to prove corruption against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He said NAB’s role would be considered as the prime reason for the economic crisis the country was in.

Both the PML-N and the PPP have been crying foul over the NAB’s ongoing accountability process. They slammed NAB chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal for his controversial interview to a senior journalist.

To a question about return of his father Shahbaz Sharif from London, Hamza said: “Shahbaz Sharif will soon return to the country as he did not flee the country like Gen Musharraf.” PML-N president was presently in London for his treatment.

He said clouds of uncertainty were hovering over the country’s economy as its currency was the weakest in the South Asia, holding the PTI government and Prime Minister Imran Khan responsible for this. The poor were suffering the most because of the bad policies of the incompetent government, he added.

Hamza said Chief Minister Usman Buzdar visited Ramazan bazaars but failed to provide things to the people on lower rates.

Regarding the opposition’s plan to take to the streets after Eid, he said: “The opposition parties have gathered in the national interest.”

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2019