Bilawal says can't appear for May 17 hearing, asks NAB to set another date

Published May 15, 2019
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari writes letter to NAB, says he cannot appear due to "prior commitments". — DawnNewsTV/File
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari writes letter to NAB, says he cannot appear due to "prior commitments". — DawnNewsTV/File

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has requested the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to reschedule the hearing that is to be held on May 17, Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister on Information Barrister Murtaza Wahab said on Wednesday.

In a video message, Wahab said that the PPP chairperson has written a letter to NAB, explaining that he will not be able to appear before the bureau on May 17 — as was earlier planned — due to some "prior commitments". Therefore, Bilawal urged the anti-corruption watchdog to set another date in the coming week.

"The notice sent by NAB to Bilawal was dated May 8, but he received it on May 13," Wahab claimed. "Since Mr Bilawal had prior commitments, he has intimated NAB that it will not be possible for him to appear on May 17."

Yesterday, Bilawal's spokesperson Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar had insisted that the PPP chairperson would appear before NAB on May 17, and had rubbished rumours that he had not answered questions posed by the bureau.

Bilawal had last appeared before NAB on March 20, when he was grilled in three corruption cases: an alleged purchase and demarcation of a land in Islamabad by Park Lane Estates (Pvt) Limited — of which Bilawal was a minor shareholder — as well as a loan allegedly obtained by the firm.

Opinion

Editorial

Geopolitical games
Updated 18 Dec, 2024

Geopolitical games

While Assad may be gone — and not many are mourning the end of his brutal rule — Syria’s future does not look promising.
Polio’s toll
18 Dec, 2024

Polio’s toll

MONDAY’s attacks on polio workers in Karak and Bannu that martyred Constable Irfanullah and wounded two ...
Development expenditure
18 Dec, 2024

Development expenditure

PAKISTAN’S infrastructure development woes are wide and deep. The country must annually spend at least 10pc of its...
Risky slope
Updated 17 Dec, 2024

Risky slope

Inflation likely to see an upward trajectory once high base effect tapers off.
Digital ID bill
Updated 17 Dec, 2024

Digital ID bill

Without privacy safeguards, a centralised digital ID system could be misused for surveillance.
Dangerous revisionism
Updated 17 Dec, 2024

Dangerous revisionism

When hatemongers call for digging up every mosque to see what lies beneath, there is a darker agenda driving matters.