LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi said on Thursday the acquittal of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif in Avenfield reference was enough to prove him a ladla (blue-eyed) of the powers that be.

“Is there still any doubt left about Nawaz Sharif being a new ladla?” Elahi said questioning the ‘quick’ acquittal of the former prime minister in the NAB reference.

The PTI leader was talking to journalists at a special court (central-I) where he was produced in a money laundering case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

He warned the Sharif brothers to get ready for their accountability in the ‘court of public’ soon.

Parvez Elahi said the Sharif brothers had been trying to create an impression as if they were set to return to power after defrauding the public.

Calling former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif a ‘king of inflation’, the PTI president said no one could save the former from the wrath of people in the upcoming elections. He said the PML-N would have to face the consequences no matter if it uses mean tactics in the polls.

He mentioned that Nawaz and Shahbaz could not succeed even after getting them cleared in the cases.

He said Shehbaz did nothing during his 16-month government except for securing a ‘level playing field’ and in return the PML-N gave Pakistan an unending series of inflation and unemployment.

He hoped that the PTI would participate in the Feb 8 election with its symbol ’bat“ and achieve success.

Elahi also criticised the caretaker Punjab government saying Rs4 billion from public money had been wasted for replacing tiles of the underpasses in the name of the city beautification.

He said his government had allocated funds in the budget for the preservation of the finality of prophethood and for the provision of scholarships to students.

Earlier, the prosecution told the special court that proceedings to declare former federal minister Moonis Elahi a proclaimed offender had been commenced.

A prosecutor said a proclamation under section 93 A & B of the CrPC had also been issued to send arrest warrants to Spain, where Moonis was believed to have lived in abscodence.

A lawyer for Moonis objected to proceedings against his client saying the court passed the order on an application, which was never filed by the prosecution.

However, Judge Tanvir Ahmad Sheikh rejected the objection and observed that the court had passed the order after going through the prosecution’s application in detail.

The judge adjourned further hearing in the money laundering case till Dec 14.

Later, Mr Elahi was also produced before a judicial magistrate at district courts for the hearing of a case of alleged illegal appointments in the Punjab Assembly.

The magistrate extended the judicial remand of Elahi for 14 days and directed the Anti-Corruption Establishment to submit challan.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2023