PESHAWAR: Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Maryam Nawaz Sharif was handed over to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on 12-day physical remand on Friday to further probe the allegation levelled against her in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
Maryam, who is the daughter of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, will now be presented before the Accountability court along with her cousin Yousaf Abbas on August 21. She was arrested yesterday by the Anti-corruption watchdog after her meeting with her father in Kot Lakhpat Jail. Due to security concerns, she was kept in a separate room in NAB office in Lahore.
She and her cousin, Yousaf Abbas, are accused of using Chaudhry Sugar Mills for money-laundering and illegal transfer of its shares; however, the charges against them are still under investigation by the NAB.
Her arrest was strongly protested by the opposition leaders who accused the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) government of using the NAB for political victimization of the opposition leadership. Former president Asif Ali Zardari, Two times former PM Nawaz Sharif, Former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, former Punjab interior minister Rana Sana Ullah and former federal minister Saad Rafique are already behind the bars in different corruption cases.
Special prosecutor Hafiz Asadullah and Haris Qureshi presented arguments on behalf of the accountability watchdog. Advocate Amjad Pervez appeared in the court on behalf of Maryam and her cousin.
Earlier when Maryam Nawaz was brought to the court, a huge number of PMLN workers welcomed her and shouted slogans in favour of PMLN and its leadership. Strict security arrangements were made with a large contingent of police stationed inside and outside the court premises.
A scuffle also broke out between PMLN workers and police personnel. Enraged workers were seen pelting stones at the police, with at least one policeman reportedly injured in the ensuing chaos.
