LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday restrained the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from taking coercive measures against Nusrat Shehbaz, wife of Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, and sought its reply by February 08 on her petition challenging her non-bailable arrest warrants issued in a reference of money laundering and illegal assets.

Earlier, the petitioner’s counsel argued that she was an infirm woman of over 66 years and had to go abroad during early 2019 for the treatment of her many chronic illnesses before the NAB started to issue call-up notices to her. He said it was not necessary for an accused to be present in the court for the indictment.

A NAB prosecutor opposed the petition and said the petitioner was in the country when the investigation was initiated against her. To a court’s query, he said charges had been framed in the reference; however, statement of the petitioner was yet to be recorded.

The court after hearing both the sides at length directed the NAB to submit a written reply to the petition by next hearing and restrained it from taking coercive measures against the petitioner.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021