Gilani, Abbasi appear before NAB

RAWALPINDI: Two former prime ministers — Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi —appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in two separate cases on Tuesday.

Gilani appeared before the Combined Investigation Team of the NAB Rawalpindi with regard to the ongoing probe in fake bank accounts case and gifting cars to ex-prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari. After the initial interrogation, he was handed a questionnaire. Abbasi appeared before a NAB team to submit reply to a questionnaire with regard to probe against him for the LNG import and terminal.

Talking to the newsmen after his appearance before a NAB team, Gilani said he had received a notice and appeared before the NAB. “They handed me a questionnaire and I will respond to it,“ he said, adding that he had also sought two weeks for reappearing.

When asked about the reason for his appearance before the CIT, Gilani said they had asked him about gifting cars to Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari as prime minister. “They questioned me why I gifted cars as the payments had been made through fake bank accounts,” he said, adding that he had told the investigators that he had not done anything wrong but according to his authority.

Asked Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s remarks about his family, he said Qureshi not only talked about his sons, but also about him. “Allah Almighty give him patience,” he said. He said the PPP always talked about respect for the Constitution and Parliament.

Replying to a question, he said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was a hope for the country and the youth was with him. “Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is a son of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and people are looking towards him with hope,” he added. Abbasi handed his reply to the questionnaire related to the ongoing interrogation against him in the LNG import and terminal case.

Talking to newsmen, Abbasi said he would present the required record to the investigators as he had received answers to certain questions via a letter sent to the Secretary Petroleum, regarding the inquiry.

He criticized the row ongoing between PTI leaders Jahangir Khan Tareen and Shah Mehmood Qureshi stating that they should work for the country rather than engaging in a ‘fight’. Meanwhile, NAB has sent a notice to former premiers Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Nawaz Sharif while summoning them for investigation into alleged import of 34 bulletproof cars from Germany without payment of Customs duty on any of them.

Notice sent to Abbasi states that the cars were imported ahead of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit 2016, and were to be used by diplomats. The notice requires response from Abbasi that why were the cars used for the protocol of Sharif family.

Importantly, the investigation is likely to get expanded with the interrogation of former premier Nawaz Sharif as well in the same case – based on allegation that 20 of the total 34 vehicles were used for the protocol of Sharif family. Earlier, NAB had grilled ex-premier’s former principal secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad.