LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif on Monday (today) in cases of money laundering and assets beyond known sources of income.

This is NAB’s third summons for the president of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) since his return from the United Kingdom about five weeks ago.

The summons made public here on Sunday directed Mr Sharif to appear before the anti-graft watchdog investigators at its Thoker Niaz Beg, Lahore, offices at 12 noon along with the documents/evidence sought by the bureau.

Earlier on April 17 and 22, the opposition leader chose not to appear before the investigators citing health reasons in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic though NAB had assured him of taking precautionary measures as prescribed under medical guidelines.

Mr Sharif had, through his counsel, submitted the documents sought by the accountability authorities. But NAB termed the documents/evidence insufficient and asked him to appear in person for responding to queries unanswered in the documents.

Mr Sharif consulted his legal team on Sunday to take a decision on whether to join the NAB investigation on not. A PML-N source said the former Punjab chief minister would not skip the NAB proceedings this time.

Besides, in his message on the World Press Freedom Day, the PML-N president said that democracy was incomplete without press. “Freedom of expression is a fundamental right and usurping it is tantamount to betraying the Constitution”

He said that media was the mirror of society which provided an opportunity to reform oneself after looking at one’s mistakes mirrored by it. “The rulers who commit the folly of breaking this mirror only repent later,” he added.

Praising the sacrifices rendered by journalists in the cause of press freedom, Mr Sharif claimed that Editor-in-Chief of Jang Group Mir Shakilur Rehman was also behind bars for the same reason.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2020