LHC allows Hamza Shehbaz to go abroad, seeks reply from govt in 15 days

LAHORE (92 News) – The Lahore High Court (LHC) has allowed Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz to go abroad. The court also issued notices to the federal government, seeking a reply on the issue within 15 days. Hearing the petition, Justice Furrukh Irfan Khan expressed his indignation at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), saying that the parliament should be abolished if the NAB has to run the country. The NAB counsel stated that Hamza Shehbaz had not contacted the forum concerned. “Ishaq Dar had gone by the PM plane and did not return till now,” he said. Justice Furrukh Irfan Khan remarked that the a citizen’s freedom to move cannot be ended even though a half of the country goes abroad and does not return. The court also rejected the state counsel’s plea asking Hamza Shehbaz to submit Rs 215 million as surety. Earlier on Tuesday, Hamza Shehbaz had filed a petition in the LHC seeking removal of his name from the no-fly list. In the petition, Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Hamza adopted a stance that his name was included in the no-fly-list illegally. He also said that his name should be removed as he had cooperated fully in NAB’s investigation. Hamza Shehbaz also said that he wanted to go abroad on behalf of medical ground. He pleaded to the court to order for removing his name from the exit control list (ECL). On Dec 11 last year, the FIA authorities offloaded Hamza Shehbaz from a Doha-bound flight at Lahore Airport. He has been stopped from leaving for London as he is wanted by the NAB. Meanwhile, the NAB has recommended that the names of Hamza Shehbaz and Salman Shehbaz should be placed on the ECL. After getting the boarding card, Hamza Shehbaz reached the Immigration counter where he was told that his name was on the black list because a NAB inquiry was underway against him. The NAB is investigating the assets beyond income case against him. He is on protective bail to evade his arrest. On Jan 8, the NAB has decided to nominate Hamza Shehbaz along with Shehbaz Sharif in the cases of Ramazan Sugar Mills and illegal assets. Sources in the NAB disclosed that the reference against Hamza Shehbaz will be filed in the end of this month. The NAB chairman will approve the reference against Shehbaz Sharif and his son. The sources said that the NAB had received the details of the assets and bank record of Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz The NAB has sought permission to investigate Shehbaz Sharif in the assets beyond income and Ramazan Sugar Mills cases in the jail.