Former Prime Minister and Quaid of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said that his party is ready to devise a strategy against horse-trading along with other political parties which believe that there was horse-trading in the recent Senate elections.
Talking to reporters after appearing before the Accountability Court hearing corruption cases against him and his family, Sharif claimed that the PML-N is against horse-trading.
Earlier, Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz appeared before Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir amid tight security arrangements. During the course of hearing, Sharif's counsel Khawaja Haris told the court that his client was not feeling well and requested the court to exempt him from hearing after marking his attendance and the court accepted his plea.
During hearing, the court recorded statements of four prosecution witnesses, including Producer Pakistan Television (PTV) Shah Mahmood in the Flaghship and Al-Aziza Steel Mill and Hill Metals Establishment references, Assistant Director NAB Waqar Ahmad in the Flagship reference, a bank official Syed Hassan Zia in the Al-Aziza Steel Mill and Hill Metals Establishment, and police Sub-Inspector Umar Daraz.
While testifying before the court, Shah Mahmood said that he appeared before the NAB investigation officer on February 10, 2018 and provided two transcripts and DVDs of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's speech to the National Assembly delivered on April 5, 2016 and address to the nation made on May 16, 2016.
The defense counsel Haris argued that a speech made in Parliament is protected under Article 66 of the Constitution and it is inadmissible evidence.
Responding to the objection of defense counsel, Deputy Prosecutor General NAB Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi said that the accused used the floor of the Parliament to explain his personal matter and it has nothing to do with parliamentary business. He said that Article 66 of the Constitution does not apply to this speech of Nawaz Sharif.
During cross-examination, the witness said he did not know who prepared DVDs of Sharif's speech. He said that the DVDs were not prepared in his presence but he only provided tapes to the concerned cell.
Haris asked the witness, "The documents you produced have no mention of tape record." The defense counsel questioned the witness, "Did you take DVD from VTR section of the organization?" Shah said that he did not obtain DVD from VTR section.
Haris further asked the witness, "Had the investigation officer read out your statement before you?" The witness replied in the affirmative. Haris told the witness that it included in his statement that the DVDs were acquired from VTR section.
The witness said at that time he could not point out to investigation officer that VTR was also mentioned in his statement. While recording his statement, another prosecution witness Syed Hassan Zia, a bank officer, said that he joined the NAB investigation in connection with the Al-Aziza Steel Mill and Hill Metals cases on January 31, 2018.
He said that he had provided the details of account of Khawaja Haroon Pasha. The documents he provided to the investigation officer included a copy of account opening form, a copy of customer due diligence (CDD), a certified copy of most important terms and conditions (MITC), employer's certificate and a computer-generated bank credit advice relating to foreign remittances. He said that fund was transferred to Khawaja Haroon's account from the Hill Metals.
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