Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Chief Minister Punjab Mian Muhamamd Shehbaz Sharif arrived in the captial yesterday, to appear before the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) today.

According to sources, Sharif arrived at the Punjab House and held important mettings with key policy makers of the ruling party; including Raja Zafar Ul Haq, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Chaudhry Nisar Ahmad. CM was accompanied by Punjab’s Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan.

The Chief Minister also met  with PM Nawaz at Prime Minister House. The meeting comes just a day before appearing before the JIT.

Party circles said Shehbaz’s appearance before the JIT was significant given his fervent temperament and they also believe that Shehbaz Sharif has an edge over the PM and the first family because he has a firm grip over the issues and has necessary aggression and passion to win the argument.

However, CM’s spokesperson clarified that the CM has not been summoned to appear before the JIT, but he was called by the panel for his similarity with the ‘Hudabiya paper Mill case’. He will clarify the deatils of tax returns of both his sons and their businesses.

‘Hudabiya Paper Mill scandal’ is a 17 years old case for which the current Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in a statement given before a magistrate in year 2000, said that the sharif family used the paper mill for the purpose of tax evasion and money laundering in the 90’s. The refrence was filed by the Musharraf government.