LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan has said PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif was seeking exemption from appearing before the National Accountability Bureau because of Covid-19, contradicting the tall claims of fighting the pandemic he made while returning from London.

In a statement issued here on Monday, Mr Chohan alleged Mr Sharif was now using coronavirus as an excuse to escape accountability. He said the state institutions were seeking explanations about “money laundering, nepotism and looting national wealth” from the Sharifs.

He said Shahbaz had been using different tactics since he returned Pakistan either by acting as a “laptop leader” or giving ludicrous safety kits to doctors and journalists.

Ridiculing the safety kit donated by the PML-N for doctors, he said it just comprised of a cake of soap, a mask and a hand sanitiser.

“Mr Sharif will eventually have to answer [the NAB questions] about the corruption he committed,” he added.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2020