NAB fails again
 

LAHORE: A National Accountability Bureau team led by Deputy Director Chaudhry Asghar on Saturday reached the residence of Hamza Shahbaz, 96-H, Model Town, around 10am for the second consecutive day to arrest him.The NAB team having the assistance of the police and the anti-riot force surrounded Hamza's residence. The police including female police officers were stationed outside the main gate of the house. The NAB team faced resistance from Hamza’s guards and PML-N workers like on the previous day. Later, a press release was issued by the NAB that Rangers have been called by the bureau for assistance in the arrest of Hamza. A few vehicles of Rangers reached the spot but they didn’t interfere in the operation as final instructions were not given by the bureau. Chaudhry Asghar showed arrest warrants to Hamza’s lawyer Atta Tarar, but he wasn’t allowed to enter the house.The PML-N workers made a chain and staged a sit-in in front of the house. They clashed with the police whenever they moved to reach the entrance.Meanwhile, an application was moved before an accountability court by the NAB, seeking permission to enter the house to arrest Hamza. The court refused the NAB plea.Chaudhry Asghar, talking to the media, said the bureau has completed all legalities regarding the arrest of Hamza. He said Hamza should not hide inside the house. He requested the PML-N leader to come out and cooperate with the NAB team, saying that his team would not leave without arresting him. After the LHC orders not to arrest Hamza, the NAB team returned to NAB office. The PML-N workers, after hearing the LHC decision, chanted slogans in favour of their party leaders.Lahore High Court Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan allowed a protective bail to Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz and barred the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from arresting him till Monday.The chief justice issued the order after hearing, in his chamber, a civil miscellaneous application filed by the counsel of Hamza to stop his possible arrest as at the same time when a team of the NAB had raided his Model Town residence for the second time in 24 hours to take him into custody in connection with a case of alleged money laundering and assets beyond means.A legal team comprising Lahore High Court Bar Association President Hafeezur Rehman Chaudhry, Amjad Pervez and Chaudhry Imtiaz Elahi appeared on behalf of Hamza before the chief justice in his chamber. The counsel contended that a petition of Hamza for ad interim pre-arrest bail was already fixed for hearing before a two-judge bench for April 8. They pointed out that the court had on Nov 20, 2018, disposed of a previous bail petition of the leader of opposition with a direction to the NAB to intimate the petitioner if it found any ground for his arrest so that he could have sufficient time of at least 10 days for approaching the court of competent jurisdiction.They argued that the NAB in violation of the order was apt to arrest the petitioner without giving him time of at least 10 days and his house had been cordoned by the bureau’s officials. They asked the chief justice to allow protective bail to the petitioner till April 8 enabling him to approach the division bench already seized with the matter.Replying to the chief justice’s query about jurisdiction of the single bench to take up the matter, the counsel referred to a case law reported as “Advocate Imran Raza Khan verses SSP Lahore and others” wherein a similar matter was entertained by the chief justice at his residence alone.“Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of this case, instant civil miscellaneous is accepted and the petitioner is admitted to ad interim protective bail till April 8, 2019,” said Chief Justice Khan in the order.The chief justice made it clear that the bail granting order would cease to have any effect after Monday and this will not prejudice the case of any party. “The NAB authorities shall not arrest the petitioner till said date,” the order concluded.Addressing party workers outside his residence after the LHC orders, Hamza asked Prime Minister Imran Khan not to scare him of jails as he had faced them and been through 10-year accountability process by the Musharraf regime. The PML-N leader said: “The nation is awakening. The workers are standing firm here. Our workers are our asset and I respect them from the core of my heart.”Hamza said the Constitution and the law won today in the country. He noted that his party’s leadership faced cases against them and appeared before investigating agencies despite all reservations. “Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan to face cases against him, leaving behind his ailing wife. But not a single penny worth of corruption could be proven against the former prime minister,” the opposition leader said.“We appeared before the NAB despite all reservations and the anti-graft body stated before the court that Hamza Shahbaz was most cooperative of all.” He said he had the court order with him, adding, “Court orders should be respected for the sake of rule of law in the country. You cannot arrest me”.Hamza said tyrants are those who enter a person’s residence by scaling the walls and detain the occupants. He said he was scared due to the present economic conditions of the country. “The economic conditions of the country are haunting me today. Nazi Sahib, you have deprived the masses of food, while the tests being conducted in public hospitals are costlier than tests in private hospitals,” the opposition leader said.He invited the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government to hold talks with them on the Charter of Democracy, saying that opposition would play its role for the sake of people. “There are ages left for political rivalry. The price of dollar today has been putting a question mark on Pakistan’s economy,” Hamza said. “The economy of the country is declining and there is shortage of capital even for debt servicing. He invited the government to come and try jointly carving out a roadmap to help strengthen the economy.The opposition leader advised the prime minister to stop telling lies, saying that the masses did not have enough money for treatment of their children. He said they would resolve public issues the way they eliminated load-shedding from the country. “The people have sent us to assemblies. We took oath despite worst rigging, for the sake of continuity of democracy,” Hamza said.“Niazi Sahib, I have faced 10-year accountability by Pervez Musharraf government. I served time in Adiala jail when I was 18-year-old. Do not try and scare me,” he said.Meanwhile, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Saturday if the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had been an independent institution, the Punjab chief minister’s spokesperson Shahbaz Gill and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry would not have been its spokespersons.Speaking to the Geo News after the NAB raid, she said: “The NAB is continuing with its state terrorism. According to the Lahore High Court’s decision, the NAB cannot arrest Hamza.” Questioning where “Hamza’s arrest orders have suddenly appeared from”, Marriyum said: “Yesterday while addressing a rally, Imran Khan said he will put everyone in jail. This is just a ploy to distract people from the government incompetence. This is no law, this is state terrorism to arrest people. Imran Khan is using the NAB for state terrorism. First, they used to stand atop containers and do terrorism and now they are standing on opposition’s heads and scaring them,” she asserted.The PML-N spokesperson said: “Hamza appeared before the NAB whenever he was summoned. A day earlier, we found out through news channels that Hamza has been summoned on April 9 but did not receive any notice. We will fight this political war,” she upheld. “If the NAB had been independent, Fawad Chaudhry and Shahbaz Gill would not have been its spokespersons.” She rejected claims that Hamza’s guards resorted to violence during Friday’s raid.PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said Hamza has moved the LHC against the NAB’s Friday raid. “This is not a NAB or police matter, but Imran Khan’s revenge,” he said.Meanwhile, in a tweet, Prime Minister Imran Khan said: “Our prophet (PBUH) said many nations before you were destroyed where there was one law for the powerful and another for the weak.”Punjab government spokesman Dr Shahbaz Gill on Saturday said Hamza should not breach the sanctity of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) by trying to escape arrest. Talking to a private news channel, he said Hamza’s reluctance to get arrested clearly demonstrated his lack of political wisdom and democratic attitude. He wondered how some TV channels could undermine the position of the supreme court as Article 189, 190 and 191 mentioned that an SC verdict could nullify high court orders, adding that the supreme court had stated in its verdict of March 27 that the NAB is independent to arrest any alleged culprit of corruption.He said Hamza should have thought of consequences when he was busy multiplying his assets and properties. Now it is the time to present himself in court for the accountability, he said. “PML-N leaders have been using indecent language against Prime Minister Imran Khan and calling Imran Khan “Niazi” just aims at raising racism against a particular tribe in the region,” he stated.Hamza should at least not terminate the spirit of party slogan and face the situation with utmost bravery, he said, adding that hiding behind walls would not help him escape corruption cases.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/cwEr/~4/bWqio0WxcJY

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