PML-N to stage protests if Shehbaz not brought to the next parliament session: Rana Sanaullah

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has warned of a large-scale demonstration if Shehbaz is not brought to the next parliamentary session. 

Former Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah said that the next session of the National Assembly should be summoned on Tuesday. “A production order should be issued and Shehbaz Sharif should be brought to the parliament,” he demanded, after attending a party meeting in Lahore.

The PML-N president was arrested on October 5 for his alleged involvement in Ashiana housing scheme scam. He is accused of cancelling the contract of a company that won the bidding for the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing scheme, and awarding it to another company, Lahore Casa Developers. This caused a loss of Rs6 million to the national exchequer.

On October 6, an accountability court remanded Shehbaz, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, into NAB’s custody for 10 days.

The government is using the NAB for targeting the PML-N, Sanaullah remarked. “The NAB was used before the July 25 elections and it is being used again,” he said. “Shehbaz’s arrest is an insult to the parliament.” He accused the PTI government of attempting to manipulate the results of by-elections. “Imran Khan is surrounded by Qabza mafia, when will they be arrested?”

“The NAB should also arrest Imran Khan and Pervaiz Khattak for corruption in Peshawar BRT,” he added.

Accountability process won’t stop: Fawad Chaudhry

Fawad Chaudhry, the information minister, said that the PML-N is free to stage protests. “We will even provide them containers, as promised by the prime minister,” he remarked.

“The process of accountability will not stop,” he said. “The corruption case against Shehbaz Sharif was registered in 2017 during the tenure of the PML-N government.”

The minister accused the PML-N senators of targeting the Pakistan Army. “The criticism of the army is not democracy,” he added.