LAHORE: The PML-N has announced resisting the arrest of party president Shehbaz Sharif by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Speaking at a joint press conference, Punjab party leaders Ataullah Tarar and Azma Bukhari said that unlike in the past at no cost Shehbaz Sharif would be allowed to be detained and if the FIA attempted to do so its offices would be besieged.

In a reference to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman’s statement that he would see case and not face while initiating investigation against someone, they said the situation seemed the vice versa for the NAB chairman perhaps disliked the face of Shehbaz so the former would initiate a new probe against the PML-N president every other day.

They said that besides Prime Minister Imran Khan, the NAB chairman would also face the music for initiating ‘false’ cases against PML-N leaders.

They said Shehbaz had already submitted a detailed reply to the Multan NAB office in May 2020 with reference to the Bahawalpur Satellite Town case, but the opposition leader had again been directed to submit a reply in the matter.

“Shehbaz was arrested in clean water case but was booked in Ashiyana housing scandal and then was involved in the sewer line of Ramzan Sugar Mill. Now the NAB has been pressurized by Imran Niazi to file a new case against him,” Mr Tarar said.

He alleged that if anyone criticized the government, all kinds of cases would be registered against them but when government spokespersons used foul language against the PTI rivals, no agency moved against them. The FIA’s cybercrime wing is active only against anti-government people, he said.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2021