National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore Director General (DG) Saleem Shahzad has expressed ignorance when asked about media reports claiming that businesses of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (PM) on Information and Broadcasting Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa’s family were linked to his rise in the military, Dawn reported.
“Who is this Mr Bajwa that you are talking about?” Shahzad volleyed back when he, during an informal talk with journalists on Wednesday, was asked about the possibility of a NAB inquiry in the wake of the news story about the alleged assets of Bajwa’s family.
The reporter’s question followed the statement of Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz, who had earlier this week said that Bajwa will soon be issuing a clarification on the news report.
Faraz, in a statement on Twitter, had said that he had spoken to Bajwa, who will in a few days issue a “detailed” clarification on reports regarding his assets.
Bajwa, who is also the chairperson of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority, has already rubbished the report while calling it a “malicious propaganda story”.
The story that went viral last week has been called an attack on CPEC by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
BUZDAR LIQUOR LICENCE CASE:
Earlier, the NAB DG also said that Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar had not yet submitted a reply in different investigations against him despite two notices.
“CM Buzdar has not yet filed a reply. He has been served two notices in this regard,” he said, over which Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan has said that the government would file the reply shortly.
The CM is accused of receiving Rs50 million bribe to force the Excise and Taxation Department head to issue a liquor licence to the hotel in question in violation of the law. He is also facing charges of acquiring property, mostly in south Punjab, in the names of his relatives and others and awarding the Gateway-II Thokar Niaz Baig project to a “blue-eyed” contractor.
‘DON’T WANT TO BE STONED AGAIN’:
To another question, Shahzad said that the watchdog had not yet decided on once again summoning former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s daughter and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz “to avoid being stoned again”.
“We have not decided about it,” he said when asked about the next appearance of the PML-N leader, whose arrival at NAB Lahore had led to a clash between party workers and the police last month.
On a lighter note, Shahzad added, “Do we have to be welcomed with stones again?”
NAB had on August 8 been unable to record the statement of Maryam in an illegal land requisition case as her party workers ran berserk and clashed with riot police in an attempt to force their way into the office of the national graft buster.
News channels showed chaotic scenes outside the NAB Complex at Thokar Niaz Baig as Maryam drove in accompanied by hundreds of PML-N activists in vehicles and on foot.
The situation turned ugly when some activists in the PML-N caravan pelted stones at police, who responded by using batons, water cannons and tear gas on the rioters.
Videos on social media and aired by TV channels showed vehicles of the PML-N activists loaded with sacks full of stones which, according to government ministers, indicate the rioting was not spontaneous — a charge the opposition party denies.
