SC doing what NAB failed to do, says PTI leader

ISLAMABAD: Had the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) been an effective body, like Nawaz Sharif's counsel claims, there would have been no need to approach the Supreme Court. 

This was stated by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday. 

Addressing the media outside the court — which is hearing review petitions filed by the Sharif family and finance minister against its judgment in the Panama Papers case — Chaudhry said the Avenfield properties case has been pending with NAB since 18 years.

"There has been no investigation in the case. The same is with Hudaibiya Paper Mills case which has been pending for 17 years," he said, adding that if the Supreme Court is not on top of this case, then it will continue to gather dust like the rest. 

The PTI leader also called for amending the law regarding the appointment of the NAB chairman, who is retiring in the third week of October. 

He said the PTI will bring back Nawaz from London in case he does not come back.

"The public does not care about 10,000 Dirhams, etc. They just want the billions of rupees that the Sharifs took out of the country illegally brought back to Pakistan.

Talking about the ongoing review hearings, he said the review petition is likely to conclude tomorrow when the Sharif children's lawyer, Salman Akram Raja, and Sheikh Rasheed will conclude their arguments. 

Earlier in the day, Rasheed said he is completely hopeful that the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case [against the Sharif family] will go to trial. 

"The entire Sharif family is implicated in this 'mother of corruption case', which is in its final round," he claimed. 

Speaking to the media from the same venue early morning, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Siraul Haq said all 436 Pakistanis mentioned in the Panama Papers must be brought to book.