The National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan on Monday arrested Shehbaz Sharif, the chief of the opposition PML-N and brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in connection with a money-laundering case.
Shehbaz is the leader of the opposition in the Pakistan National Assembly and had served as chief minister of Punjab province from 2008 to 2018.
Shehbaz was arrested after the Lahore High Court turned down a bail plea from him in the money-laundering case. Shehbaz was arrested from the Lahore High Court premises after the bail hearing in the presence of PML-N workers. During ensuing protests, PML-N workers clashed with police.
Last week, the Imran Khan government filed a case against Shehbaz and his family over alleged laundering of $41 million.
A Pakistan government official had claimed "the case comprised 55 volumes and 25,000 pages of documentary evidence against the Sharifs, including company records, bank statements and foreign remittances". According to the case, the Shehbaz Sharif family was involved in fake foreign remittances and organised money laundering. Shehbaz allegedly paid for the customs duty of an imported vehicle and bought two houses and a villa using the laundered money, the official claimed.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the daughter of Nawaz Sharif, alleged Shehbaz was being victimised. She tweeted, "Make no mistake. Shehbaz Sharif has been arrested ONLY because he REFUSED to play in the hands of those who wanted to use him against his brother. He preferred standing behind prison bars than to stand against his brother."
Maryam is national vice president of the PML-N.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, a PML-N spokesperson, alleged Shehbaz was arrested at the behest of Prime Minister Imran Khan. She linked the arrest to the Gilgit-Baltistan polls.
"The 58-volume document doesn’t have Shehbaz Sharif's name anywhere but just like the general elections of 2018, it has been decided to rig the upcoming Gilgit-Baltistan polls," she was quoted as saying by The News International.
Shehbaz had been arrested in October 2018 in connection with two cases of corruption, but got bail.
