Abbasi, Ismail’s judicial remand extended till Oct 28

Former premier accuses government of filing fake cases; says it has no proof

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad on Friday extended the judicial remand of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-finance minister Miftah Ismail and Sheikh Imran till October 28 in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) case.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) produced Abbasi and Ismail before the court on completion of their earlier judicial remand.
Judge Muhammad Bashir heard the case.

The former premier’s counsel requested the court to allow Abbasi visitation right and the use of his laptop.

Judge Bashir remarked, “We will inquire about the visitation criteria from the jail authorities. If it is written in the jail manual, permission will be granted.”

Seeking details of medical report, usage of laptop and visitation from jail authorities, the court adjourned the hearing of the case till October 28.

Speaking to the media, Abbasi said the government was filing fake cases. “The state has come down to injustice. The government is running on arrests. They file cases on hearsay. We can tolerate but the government will not be able to tolerate.”

Terming the announcement of the Azadi march a great success, Abbasi said, “The decision to participate will be made by the party leadership. Azadi march is the biggest success as the government has failed miserably.”

He said, “There is no charge of corruption against Nawaz Sharif nor me. There are only arrests, but no proof. If there is proof, they will be able to prove something.”

He accused the government functionaries of threatening government officers as well as retired ones into becoming approvers.
“Neither will these cases run, nor will history ever forgive them.”

The former PM claimed that the case was being delayed for over a year as there was no corruption charge against him.
He also termed the ongoing accountability process a “political vendetta”.

Earlier on January 2, the National Accountability Bureau’s Executive Board had authorised two investigations against Abbasi, when he was former minister for petroleum and natural resources – one for his alleged involvement in irregularities in LNG import and the other related to the appointment of Naeemuddin Khan as president of the Bank of Punjab.

Abbasi was arrested in the case on July 18, while Miftah had been in NAB custody since August 7 in connection with the case that was reopened in 2018.

The former premier believed that NAB had become a tool for the government to persecute the opposition.