No-confidence motion wish of 220m people: Shehbaz

Opposition leader again accuses ‘NAB-Niazi’ nexus of framing him in corruption cases

LAHORE:

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Friday lashed out at the incumbent government, saying that the purported no-confidence motion against the government was the wish of 220 million people as they were fed up with the skyrocketing inflation.

Talking to the media outside the accountability court, the National Assembly opposition leader said that in October 2018, when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) summoned him in the Saaf Pani Company case, he was arrested in the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme case. He said that he was responding to their queries, but attempts were made to defame him. However, ho noted, the court acquitted everyone arrested in the case.

Speaking about the Saaf Pani Company case, the PML-N president said that he used to chair meetings all departments as the chief minister, and there was nothing wrong in him chairing the meeting of the said company.

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He alleged that the “NAB-Niazi” nexus arrested him, and the graft buster brought in innocent people to give statements against him.

Shehbaz said that he awarded the contract for clean water against the lowest bid, and did this only for the people, saving tens of millions of rupees.

“I have been committing this crime to save every penny of this poor nation,” he said. “Billions of times, I say out of fear of Allah that billions of rupees of the poor people of this country has been saved.”

He said that he saved Rs1,560 billion through net saving, adding that he spent Rs3.3 trillion to serve the people.

He said that for the first time in 74 years, bidding was done with China for the Orange Line Metro Train project, and he “thanks the Chinese government for listening to him”.

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He said that as a druggie gets into the habit of consuming drugs, he got into the habit of saving public money.

“I am the most sinful person, but I have given my blood and sweat to public service,” he added. “Even when I go to the grave, if corruption of one rupee is proved, then dig me out of it, and hang me from the gallows.”

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s lawyers do not even come to courts. He mentioned that the names of certain people from Pakistan were mentioned in the Swiss bank leaks, however, the Novastone Capital Advisors did not find any account in his name there.