Sharif fails to appear before NAB

This is the second time Sharif has ignored the NAB summons and opted not to appear before the investigation team

LAHORE: Deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif failed to appear before an investigation team on Sunday despite being summoned by the National Accountability Bureau Lahore (NAB) in the Raiwind Road construction case.

This is for the second time that Sharif has ignored the NAB summons and opted not to appear before the investigation team. The summons was sent to him last week. The notice was also delivered to his residence at Jati Umra.

The first notice was served in April but Sharif did not appear reportedly because he was abroad to inquire after the health of his wife, Kulsoom Nawaz.

After his absence for the second time, NAB will decide the future line of action in a meeting of its executive board.

A NAB officer said during the meeting NAB will consider different actions under the law -- including sending of another summons or filing of a reference, adding “there is a possibility of a reference being filed against Sharif next month.”

Sharif as prime minister of Pakistan in 1998 had allegedly issued illegal directions to local authorities to widen the Raiwind road.

Shehbaz Sharif was the chief minister of Punjab at the time. NAB alleged that those instructions were tantamount to influence-peddling for personal benefit that caused loss of millions of rupees to the exchequer.

The deposed prime minister on Sunday remained in Lahore at his Jati Umra residence. He also attended important meetings with key political figures, including Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Sharif meets top leaders

Sharif and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chaired a consultative meeting of the party on the political situation in the country.

The meeting discussed various issues and devised a strategy. It also broached the matter of caretaker PM’s induction, the situation obtaining after Nawaz Sharif’s interview to an English-language daily, preparations for elections and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases.

Nawaz Sharif said that he was not afraid of going to jail and will follow his principled stance whatever the consequences. PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, federal minister Khawja Saad Rafiq, Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Mariam Nawaz Sharif and other central and provincial leaders were also present.

According to NNI, PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi briefed the leadership about his meetings with the Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah about the caretaker PM and the names discussed between them. He also briefed the leadership about Saturday’s meeting of the National Security Committee and the issues that were discussed.

The meeting also considered various proposals for the public contact campaign.  Recommendations for the names of caretaker PM were also finalized in the meeting.

According to INP, the party decided to give tough time to all the political opponents including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and finalized matters relating to candidates and the election campaign. PML-N will run the campaign for general elections under the slogan of ‘Honour the Vote’. The leadership suggested that the party leader Nawaz Sharif use a milder stance and refrain from controversial issues till elections.

According to media reports, Nawaz Sharif said that PML-N will come into election arena with unity and harmony and will strongly defeat the political opponents. He added that PML-N adheres to the politics of principles and ideology.

The former premier said that there was no other example of steps taken in the history of the country that PML-N’s federal and Punjab government have taken to eliminate poverty, inflation, unemployment and terrorism.

He said that the people trust PML-N and the party will win convincingly in the 2018 elections.  Shehbaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also presented their views about the success of the party in the general elections and said that the party has fulfilled the promises it had made with the people in the last general elections.

Earlier, the PM paid a surprise visit to Lahore from Islamabad by a special plane. High security arrangements were made on Allama Iqbal Airport on his arrival from where he left for Jati Umra by a helicopter.