ISLAMABAD: The Isla­mabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday granted 14-day protective bail to Suleman Shahbaz, son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a money laundering case.

The prime minister’s son came back to Pakistan after ending his four-year self-exile in London.

The protective bail was granted by IHC Chief Justice Amir Farooq when Suleman Shehbaz appeared along with his counsel Amjad Pervez before the court.

The chief justice, however, ordered him to surrender before the Special Judge of Central Lahore within two weeks which is seized with the case pertaining to Rs16 billion money laundering.

Earlier on Dec 12, the IHC had restrained the FIA and the NAB from arresting the PM’s son. Facing a NAB reference for allegedly amassing wealth beyond his known sources of income, Suleman Shahbaz had filed a petition seeking protective bail in that case as well.

While talking to the media outside the court on Tuesday, Suleman Shahbaz said he had returned after four years and two months to surrender before the co­­urt. He said the entire world was witness to what treatment and ‘political victimisation’ his family endured over the last four years at the hand of the previous government of Imran Khan.

He termed previous NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal a ‘black spot on the accountability system’ and recalled how the previous FIA Direc­tor General Bashir Memon had been pressured by the previous PTI government.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2022