LAHORE: PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz has questioned the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) jurisdiction regarding judging ‘political statements’, saying a case should be registered against anti-graft body for transgressing its jurisdiction.

In a frontal attack on the NAB on Monday, the daughter of deposed premier Nawaz Sharif said: “Who authorised NAB to judge my political statements. Who appointed the NAB as spokesperson for the army and the judiciary? NAB’s job is supposedly to stop corruption. It acted beyond its mandate by judging political statements. A case should be registered against NAB for transgressing its jurisdiction?” she demanded and requested the judiciary to throw the bureau’s petition against her in the dustbin, for being frivolous.

She was talking to reporters at her Jati Umra residence here on Monday.

Court surprised at delay in seeking cancellation of PML-N leader’s bail

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday issued a notice to Ms Nawaz for April 7 on NAB’s petition seeking cancellation of the post-arrest bail granted to her in November 2019 in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case related to money laundering.

Ms Nawaz was referring to the contents of the NAB petition accusing her of ‘flouting and misusing’ the bail concession by continuously attacking the state institutions through political speeches and social media.

“She is also involved in anti-state propaganda, supporting the nefarious designs of the enemies of Pakistan,” NAB alleged in the plea.

Dismissing NAB’s assertion that she was not cooperating with it in the case, Ms Nawaz said: “It is a great lie. I always cooperated with it [NAB]. Everyone witnessed I was attacked with stones and laser gun outside the NAB Lahore office, when I came there on its call-up notice. I stayed for an hour outside the NAB office, asking it to record my statement but it declined. I remained in NAB custody for three months during which I was asked [frivolous questions like] which book I read and who cooked food in my house.”

She said such elements were trying to use the judiciary’s shoulder after seeing success of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in by-polls, an anti-government wave and forthcoming long march on Islamabad, and wanted her arrested.

“But let me tell them I am not afraid of it. I have already gone to jail twice. It makes no difference if I go there again. In my absence, Nawaz Sharif will lead [the agitation] from London,” she said and added NAB was an institution which was harassing (prime minister) Imran Khan’s opponents.

She asked Mr Khan to go in the public to see the people’s hatred for him.

Ms Nawaz said NAB had a problem with her because of her stance against intervention of institutions in politics, and her fight against the PTI government.

She said NAB’s reply in the court was so funny. It said it did not summon herin this case because she was busy in rallies. “I am surprised at the care NABshowing towardsme,” she said.

To a question about PML-N MNA Javed Latif’s controversial statement, Ms Nawaz said her party leader was a patriot.

“If the PML-N is continuously targeted, those who are doing so will not escape being targeted as well. PML-N will not remain silent,” she warned.

Meanwhile, the LHC on Monday expressed surprise over a delay of almost one year by NAB in seeking cancellation of Ms Nawaz’s post-arrest bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

At the outset of the bureau’s petition, headed by Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, a two-judge bench asked a prosecution team as to why and on what grounds the NAB wanted the court to cancel the respondent’s bail.

Deputy Prosecutor General Chaudhry Khaliquz Zaman said the basic ground for the cancellation of bail was misuse of the concession by the respondent.

“How did Maryam misuse the bail?” the bench asked the prosecutor.

He said the respondent had been avoiding her appearance before the NAB.

The prosecutor pointed out that the workers of the respondent’s party attacked police and hurled stones at the NAB office on Aug 11, 2020. He said the bureau got a case registered of the incident with the police concerned.

“You have sought cancellation of bail after one year. Where have you been earlier and how many times NAB summoned her after the incident?” Justice Dogar asked the prosecutor.

The prosecutor said the respondent would turn her appearances before the NAB into political gatherings.

After hearing initial contention of the prosecutor, the bench issued notice to Ms Nawaz for her reply by April 7.

The NAB in its petition alleged that the respondent had chosen a path of attacking the state institutions and tried to cause friction in the rank and file of armed forces and was also inciting the general public against them by publicly attacking them and the heads of other institutions.

The NAB argued that the conduct of the respondent attracted specific grounds to seek cancellation of her post-arrest bail.

A two-judge bench had released Ms Nawaz on Nov 4, 2019, on bail with, directing her to surrender her passport to the court registrar as NAB suspected he could flee the country.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2021