Daily Times

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz Friday said the government would use all available legal options for bringing Nawaz Sharif back from London to face cases in the courts of law.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) would be asked to write to the British government through the Foreign Office for the extradition of Nawaz Sharif, he said while addressing a press conference here. Shibli Faraz said Nawaz Sharif had gone to England on six-month bail on medical grounds given by the court on human considerations. “The medical documents presented before the court seemed to be fudged to create an impression that he was seriously ill. However, when he reached London, he even did not bother to have an X-ray what to speak of any medical treatment,” he said. “When his lawyers filed an appeal with the Punjab government for extension of his bail, they were asked them to provide his latest medical report to justify their plea, but they failed to do so,” he added.

The minister said now the time had come that Nawaz Sharif, who had made fun of the judicial system by misleading the courts, should return home. “If he is innocent then he should come back to face the pending cases. Why he is running away from law of the land and the courts,” he questioned. He said instead of getting medical treatment in London, Nawaz is indulged in political activities. “He has also made telephonic contacts with Fazlur Rehamn and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. It is for the courts to decide the pending cases against Nawaz Sharif, but it is the government’s responsibility to present the accused before them,” he added.

As regards the legislation related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the minister said the opposition is trying to blackmail the government and get concessions in the corruption cases in return for getting passed the law. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government will never be blackmailed, he added.

He said the opposition leaders prefer their personal interests over the national ones. “They want to change the interpretation of corruption and abolish the institution of National Accountability Bureau for personal benefits,” he said, adding that the main difference between the past and present rulers is that the former worked for the protection of their personal interests whereas Imran Khan is keeping the national interests supreme. “They are trying to cash in on the FATF-related legislation to get personal benefits. They tried to blackmail the government, but it should be clear to all that Imran Khan has no personal enmity with any one and he is only trying to bring the looted national wealth back and provide relief to the masses by reducing the prices of daily use items, petroleum products and electricity tariffs,” he said.

He said the era of attacking the Supreme Court and subjugating the state institutions has gone now. Maryam should must give answers to the questions regarding her 1100-kanal land instead of staging a drama and pelting the NAB office with stones, he maintained, adding that whenever the pressure of corruption cases increases on opposition leaders, they start talking about all-parties conferences and agitation against government.