PTI asks Sindh Assembly Speaker Siraj Durrani to step down

KARACHI (92 News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Karachi Division president Khurram Sher Zaman on Wednesday demanded resignation from Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani over his arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). “The speaker should step-down from his designation until corruption reference probe against him,” Zaman termed. The PTI spokesperson relayed everyone is equal in the eyes of law and added even ministers of PTI set example by resigning from their respective offices to face investigations.

NAB grants three-day transit remand of Agha Siraj Durrani

Earlier today, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court granted three-day transit remand of Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani. According to the reports, the NAB Karachi team arrested Agha Siraj Durrani from Islamabad and shifted to the Rawalpindi NAB office. After some hour, the SIndh Assembly speaker was presented to the accountability court where the court granted three-day transit remand. During the hearing, the NAB requested to grant seven-day transit remand; however, Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir granted three-day transit remand and said that the accused will be presented in Karachi within three days. It was also reported that the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader was taken into custody from a five-star hotel in Islamabad. Durrani has been arrested in a case pertaining to owning assets beyond his known sources of income. Last year, NAB had initiated three separate inquiries against Durrani over funds embezzlement and disproportionate assets charge. It is pertinent to mention here that NAB’s regional board had sanctioned three separate inquiries against the PPP leader: the first inquiry pertains to an allegation of accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income by Durrani; the second relates to 352 illegal appointments made by him; and the third pertains to embezzlement of funds for the construction of the MPA Hostel and construction of the new Sindh Assembly building, as well as in the appointment of project directors for the said projects. The anti-graft watchdog had summoned the speaker several times to appear before the anti-graft watchdog body for interrogation in the case, however, Durrani failed to comply with the order which led to his arrest by NAB today. On July 20 last year, the anti-corruption body had ordered an inquiry on charges of corruption against the Sindh Assembly speaker.