Maryam Nawaz slams PTI govt over NAB’s raid to arrest Hamza

LAHORE (92 News) – Maryam Nawaz – daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif – on Friday slammed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government over National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) raid to arrest Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz on Friday. She strongly criticized the government after the anti-graft watchdog body conducted an unsuccessful raid to arrest Hamza Shahbaz, saying that the government was using cheap tactics to hide its own failures. In her tweet, Maryam Nawaz said that the government has been defeated at every field and now this is using cheap tactics to hide its own failures. She said the opposition leader in Punjab Assembly returned to the country leaving behind his ailing minor daughter. https://twitter.com/MaryamNSharif/status/1114112007421210625 The press release added that NAB officials were bullied by Hamza Shehbaz’s guards, their clothes were torn and death threats were given. “NAB officials had gone to the residence with an arrest warrant and the Supreme Court had stated that the accountability bureau did not require to inform any accused prior to arresting them,” read the press release. The press release stated that Hamza Shehbaz had violated the law and the bureau on the basis of evidence against and in light of Supreme Court directives would arrest him. Talking outside the residence, Hamza Shehbaz said for the first time he felt like a terrorist as this was the type of action taken against them. “SC has said that NAB has been politicised. Hamza Shehbaz said he had felt like a terrorist because of the way NAB had raided the residence. “The sanctity of the home was violated,” he said. “We are Pakistanis […] For the first time, I felt like we are terrorists, the way the raid was conducted,” he added. “Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered in his case had not been dismissed by the Supreme Court. NAB personnel thinking they were Superman came to arrest me,” he added. “Whenever I received a call-up notice, despite my reservations I appeared before NAB,” Hamza asserted. He stressed that he had been given permission to travel abroad to meet his daughter and had returned a day before the court given deadline. It is pertinent to mention here that in the assets beyond means case, Hamza is facing an inquiry into the Ramzan Sugar Mills case. According to the NAB, Hamza and his younger brother Salman Shehbaz being directors of the sugar mills got constructed a bridge linking to their mills out of public money in Chiniot. It said an amount of Rs200 million was approved by then chief minister Shehbaz Sharif for the construction of the bridge.

PML-N workers stage sit-in

Following reports of the raid, a number of PML-N workers and supporters gathered outside the house and staged a sit-in, raising slogans against NAB. PML-N leaders who arrived outside the residence after hearing of the raid strongly criticised the government.