LAHORE: PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was being repeatedly used against Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif for the last two years.

The NAB has summoned Shahbaz in income beyond means and money laundering investigations at its provincial headquarters at Thokar Niaz Beg on Wednesday (today) and warned him of “serious consequences” over his non-cooperation.

On Tuesday, Shahbaz consulted his legal team whether to appear before the combined investigation team of the bureau or send his counsel.

Mr Sanaullah, who has been on bail in a narcotics case, said in a statement on Tuesday that the “Niazi-NAB alliance” had been after the PML-N president since Imran Khan government came to power about two years ago. People like federal minister Sheikh Rashid, who “ordered” NAB to arrest Shahbaz Sharif, was reflective of the collusion to target the opposition leaders. He said the way the whole government machinery was after Shahbaz showed the fight against Covid-19 was their least priority.

It appeared that Imran Khan had two spiritual advisers – Sheikh Rashid and Shahzad Akbar – in the NAB.

Meanwhile, the PML-N has appealed to the authorities concerned to release Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz over fears he might get infected in the presence of suspected Covid-19 inmates in jail.

“An increase has been witnessed in coronavirus cases in the Camp Jail Lahore, which is a main concern for him and his family. Besides, Hamza Shahbaz has not been able to meet his newborn baby girl for several months. We request that he be released on humanitarian grounds,” PML-N Punjab Information Secretary Azma Bokhari said.

She said 59 prisoners only in Lahore jails had tested positive, raising the tally to 94 in the province’s prisons.

She said Hamza had been in jail for several months and yet no reference was filed against him (in income beyond means case). In the current troubled times, the people of Punjab needed their opposition leader to raise a voice for them, she maintained.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2020