Daily Times

Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Hamza Shahbaz, on Monday, returned to Pakistan from London.

Previously, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had granted him a 14-day extension, on February 11 for his stay in London to take care of his newborn daughter, who was diagnosed with a serious cardiac issue and, hence, had to undergo life-saving surgery.

According to the information available from sources, Hamza’s daughter was moved to the intensive care unit of the hospital immediately after her birth because of her serious cardiac complications. Hamza had arrived in London on February 3 after gaining a one-time exemption to travel abroad by the LHC. The PML-N leader was previously barred from leaving the country after his name was placed on the Exit Control List.

Hamza is facing a number of corruption charges filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). These charges include an alleged accumulation of assets beyond his known sources of income, financial irregularities in the Saaf Pani Company and the illegal construction of a bridge using public funds to facilitate the Ramzan Sugar Mills.

The opposition leader was summoned by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in the Model Town case on Monday.

Published in Daily Times, February 26^th 2019.