LAHORE: Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif on Thursday attended the trial proceedings against him in Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases made by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

During his appearance before an accountability court, Mr Sharif said the NAB had been wasting time of the nation and the court as well by filing false cases. He claimed to have saved billions of rupees of the nation during his stint as chief minister of Punjab.

“My services are being rewarded with fake cases,” he complained to the court.

The presiding judge, Jawadul Hassan, allowed Mr Sharif to leave after marking his attendance and directed the NAB to present its witnesses on June 29 in the housing scheme case.

Earlier, a prosecutor explained the absence of Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz saying he was on physical remand with the NAB in cases of money laundering/assets and Ramzan Sugar Mills.

The court adjourned hearing of the mills’ case till June 26 and directed the bureau to produce Hamza on next date.

KHWAJA BROTHERS: An accountability court extended judicial remand of former minister for railways Khwaja Saad Rafiq and his brother former provincial minister Khwaja Salman Rafiq in Paragon City case.

The jail officials produced both before the court while the NAB sought time to present its witnesses. The court adjourned hearing till June 27 and also extended judicial remand of the Khwaja brothers.

Talking to media, Saad Rafiq said the past loan probe commission announced by Prime Minster Imran Khan would have no significance.

He said the prime minister was a person full of hate with a sole target to crush his political rivals.

He said Mr Khan talked about the cases against opposition leaders as if he was the NAB chairman. Mr Rafiq said the people had rejected the budget being anti-poor and they would soon take to the streets [against the government].

The bureau recently filed a reference against the Khwaja brothers accusing them of wrongfully gaining Rs18.2 million approximately from M/s Paragon City (pvt) Ltd in their bank accounts.

It alleged that the suspects along with other accomplices cheated public at large and obtained illegal financial benefits from the funds of the illegal society.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2019