NAB summons Shehbaz on April 22

Assures PML-N president investigators will take all precautionary measures

LAHORE: The country’s top graft buster – the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) – has again asked National Assembly Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif to appear before its combined investigations team (CIT) on April 22 (tomorrow) in connection with an assets beyond means case.

Shehbaz on April 17 skipped a NAB hearing as he requested it to exempt him from appearing before the NAB investigators till end of the coronavirus pandemic in view of his health conditions.

The PML-N president had to appear before the CIT at its Lahore Office. The CIT had asked Shehbaz Sharif to submit bank details from 2005 to 2007.

However, Shehbaz on Friday sent a written reply to the CIT chief, requesting him to defer the probe till end of the lockdown by taking into account his written reply and the advice of his physicians.

He had said his doctors have advised him to take precautionary measures in view of the pandemic and to limit his interactions with people to avoid contact with the contagious disease.



“I am 69-year-old and have been a patient of cancer,” he said, adding that due to the lockdown it was also not possible for him to access all the data, record and staff.

Shehbaz said he had always replied to all NAB notices; appeared before the investigators whenever summoned and offered full cooperation. He said he had already answered all questions about his assets when he was first arrested by NAB in connection with a housing scheme case.

“It is regrettable that NAB has always declared replies to its notices as unsatisfactory. All my assets are on record and I have been declaring my assets before relevant officials,” he had added.

NAB has, however, summoned him again, while promising that it will adopt all preventive measures like use of mask, social distancing and use of senitizers. It has asked Shehbaz to cooperate.

Earlier, NAB complained that Shehbaz has not been cooperating. The graft buster said ahead of his April 17 appearance, it had sent him a questionnaire as it wanted detailed and comprehensive answers in order to conclude the probe which is in its final phase.

On March 27, NAB sent a call up notice to Shehbaz. The notice had a list of at least 12 questions. It asked him to provide documents and details about disproportionate growth in assets of his family during the last two decades, gifts given to the family members, foreign accounts and monetary transactions etc.