ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday said he was against making fake cases against anyone and “no one has the authority to frame cases on political grounds.”

Talking to reporters outside Accountability Court after appearing in liquefied natural gas (LNG) case against him and others, he said that cases had been made against honest people and corrupt were roaming free in the country.

When he was asked whether political cases should be registered or not, he said that political cases should not be made. “No one has the authority to make a political case against anyone,” he said, adding if anyone had violated the law then a case should be registered against him and be tried in court. No one should be defamed in a fake case, he said.

To another question, he said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan several times claimed about the arrest of different people. “Now Khan remembers that he made these arrests on the instruction of anyone else,” he said, adding the PTI chief needed to correct his narrative as well as “our government also needs to take a clear stance regarding this matter.”

When he was asked about the reports that during the last days of the PTI’s tenure, he was offered to become prime minister, he said “only his party can make him prime minister.”

Earlier, he appeared before Accountability Court-II judge Nasir Javed Rana in the LNG case. The court allowed him to go after marking his attendance. The defence counsels presented their arguments about the jurisdiction of the court on the LNG case in view of the amendments made by the coalition government to the NAB law.

The NAB prosecutor said that following the amendment in the NAB law there was a decision of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) regarding that case. The court should only decide about the jurisdiction of the case as per amended NAB law, he said. The prosecutor further said the IHC had directed the NAB to assist the court in determining the relevant forum.

After hearing the arguments, the court decided to review the recent decision of the IHC about the NAB amendment ordinance.

The court sought further arguments from the defence and the prosecution in view of the recent decision of the IHC during the next hearing to be held on February 21.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023