ISLAMABAD: In an obvious reference to the establishment, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice president and former premier, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, on Tuesday said that if somebody interfered in the ongoing anti-government movement, the opposition will bring it to the fore.

Talking to reporters, after appearing before Accountability Court, he said that if someone influenced the opposition’s move to table vote of no-confidence against the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) government, the opposition will bring it before the nation.

To a question about finalising strategy of no-trust move, he said the strategy to move vote of no-confidence against the government had been finalised. The opposition had the required numbers for the success of vote of no-confidence against the government, he said.

He said the government had threatened the opposition in the National Assembly as well as in the federal cabinet meeting. Former advisor to the prime minister on accountability and interior, Shahzad Akbar, had fled the country, he said.

Abbasi said the corruption committed by the present government would be placed before the nation. “This government has made the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s action vindictive,” he said, adding the government had issued the NAB ordinances in order to avert appointment of a new NAB chairman as the present chairman NAB suited them.

Earlier, he and the other accused appeared before Accountability Court-II judge Muhammad Azam Khan in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) case. The court marked attendance of all the accused and adjourned till today (Wednesday) without any proceedings due to absence of Abbasi’s counsel, Barrister Zafarullah Khan.

NAB prosecutor Usman Masood, defence counsel Barrister Qasim Nawaz Abbasi, and Uzair, and witness Naseer Shabir appeared before the court.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022