Shahbaz Sharif addresses National Assembly session convened over his arrest
The National Assembly session convened on opposition’s demands to protest Leader of Opposition Shahbaz Sharif’s arrest is underway.
The PML-N president is also in the parliament to attend the session and is delivering a speech on the floor of the house. NA Speaker Asad Qaiser is chairing the session.
Earlier, upon arrival to the parliament, Sharif was handed over to the assembly’s junior sergeant of arms by NAB authorities at Gate Five of the building.
Sharif arrived in the NA hall after he was stopped from chairing a meeting of PML-N’s parliamentary committee in the building, DawnNewsTV reported. The production orders were only issued for him to attend the NA session.
PML-N leaders, including Rana Sanaullah, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Asif Kirmani and Maiza Hameed, who had arrived in the NA building to attend the meeting.
The PML-N president has been in custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) since Oct 5 in the Ashiyana-i-Iqbal housing scam. His production orders were issued by NA Speaker Asad Qaiser last week, after the opposition requested him to convene a session for a discussion on the matter.
Former leader of the opposition Khursheed Shah met Sharif in his chamber after the latter’s arrival. The leaders discussed opposition’s future course of action.
Meanwhile Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that opposition’s “noise” will not put a stop to the process of accountability.
Opposition demands NA sesssion
On Oct 6, lawmakers of a couple of opposition parties in both houses of parliament had met Speaker Qaiser at his residence and demanded immediate convening of an NA session, and sought the issuance of production orders for the leader of the opposition so that he could attend the session.
The delegation of opposition leaders comprised PML-N chairman and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq, former NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and PML-N lawmaker Rana Tanvir.
During the meeting, the opposition leaders demanded that the NA session be summoned immediately so that they could raise the issue of Shahbaz’s arrest effectively.
Earlier this month, Sharif was arrested by NAB authorities in the Rs14 billion Ashiyana-i-Iqbal housing project scam, when he visited the anti-corruption body’s Lahore office for a hearing. The arrest was termed as an attempt “to steal the by-elections” by Sadiq.
