ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice president and former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday said that the results of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa local bodies’ elections showed that the people have completely rejected policies of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government.

Talking to media after appearing before Accountability Court in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) case, he said that the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have inflicted a heavy defeat on the PTI in the local government polls. “This is not an ordinary defeat,” he said, adding that despite being in the government, the PTI committed rigging two days before the local bodies’ elections.

To a question about the appointment of new Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB), he said that the government wanted the present Chairman NAB to remain as Chairman of the bureau and to work on daily wages. However, he said that opposition had selected some names, which will be forwarded to the president. He said that the chairman NAB closes his eyes on the corruption scandals of the present government. The chairman is working on daily wages, he said, adding that his term had completed three months ago but he was not ready to leave his office.

Abbasi said that one day, the chairman NAB and others who made fake cases against politicians would be held accountable. He asked the NAB chief to tell the nation that how many politicians he had convicted and how much money he had recovered from them.

The former premier said when time would come they would become petitioners and ask the current rulers how they looted people after raising price of sugar, flour, and medicines.

Earlier, he and other accused appeared before the Accountability Court-II judge Muhammad Azam Khan in the LNG case and were allowed to leave after marking his attendance.

At the start of the hearing, the judge inquired about Barrister Qasim Nawaz Abbasi, counsel for the accused, Sheikh ImranulHaq, former managing director (MD) Pakistan State Oil (PSO). At this, his associate informed the court that his lead counsel remained busy in Rawalpindi court and will appear before it at 12am. Abbasi told the court that his counsel Barrister Zafarrullah Khan was busy in Islamabad High Court (IHC) due to which he will not be appear before the court. The judge said that the cross-examination of the witness, Farhan Imran, will be conducted upon arrival of the defense counsel, Nawaz Abbasi.

Later, the defense counsel conducted cross-examination of the witness and requested to adjourn the hearing. However, the court turned down the defense counsel’s request and directed them to complete cross examination of the witness till Wednesday (today). The court adjourned hearing of the case till January 4th.­

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021