Shujaat, Pervaiz appear before NAB

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and senior party leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Monday appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Lahore, to record their statements in a case of assets beyond their known sources of income.

According to the Bureau sources, a combined investigation team questioned both the PML-Q leaders for one-and-a-half hours. It is pertinent to mention that both the leaders appeared in response to the notices served on them by NAB.

The corruption case against the Chaudhrys was among the 179 corruption scandals whose list was compiled by NAB and submitted to the Supreme Court in July 2015. The case pertains to the misuse of authority and amassing wealth, registered against them back in 2000 before they joined hands with former president Pervez Musharraf.

Meanwhile, Hasnain Dar and Ali Dar, sons of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who were also summoned for Monday by NAB for recording their statements in connection with the ongoing investigations against their father in the case of assets beyond known sources of income, did not show  up. 

Meanwhile, NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal ordered the reopening of pending investigations against the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders. The chairman also directed to reopen cases against former Balochistan chief minister Aslam Raisani, former minister for communication Arab Alamgir and his wife Asma Arbab.

“NAB is interrogating former communication minister Arbab Alamgir and his wife Asma Arbab for possessing assets beyond known source of income and illegal allotments in Gwadar,” the NAB statement said. 

Similarly, NAB chief said Balochistan's former chief minister Aslam Raisani was accused of illegal use of power and owning assets beyond means, and the cases were facing delay.

The NAB chairman said that investigations would now be concluded swiftly according to the law with the help of solid evidence. “My first and foremost priority is to eliminate corruption from Pakistan, and ‘zero tolerance’ policy will be practised,” he said.