Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders and workers on Saturday thronged the accountability court where the NAB team produced the PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif for his remand amid stringent security measures. The enraged PML-N workers chanted slogans and a few of them climbed on the roof of armoured vehicle. A PML-N worker sustained injuries when he fell down from the van. A worker also handcuffed himself while protesting outside the Accountability Court.
Shahbaz was brought to the AC from NAB regional office. All routes leading to the accountability court were sealed. Four SPs, 10 DSPs, 20 SHOs and at least 600 Anti Riot Force personnel performed duties to deal with any untoward incident.
Police personnel, which were posted inside and outside the court, refused to let the PML-N leaders and workers go inside the building. Only the PML-N president's sons, Hamza Shahbaz, Salman Shahbaz and party leader Malik Ahmed Khan, were allowed entry in the courtroom.
PML-N leaders Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khurram Dastgir and Saira Afzal Tarrar were not granted entry. Party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb and PML-N Lahore Pervez Malik protested with other activists gathered outside the court building as early as 7am.
Talking to the media outside the AC building, Marriyum Aurangzeb accused the government of "using NAB to take political revenge". She further said Shahbaz's arrest is the worst form of political victimisation.
"He (Shahbaz) was asked to appear before NAB and record his statement in the Saaf Pani Company case but was arrested in Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme case," she said, adding: "Not even corruption of Re1 could be proven against the PML-N president."
Stating that PTI is resorting to such tactics as they could not "defeat PML-N in the political arena", Marriyum said, "We will not accept revenge in the name of accountability."
She said the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) should conduct an inquiry against Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry if it is an independent body. "Since Friday I have been hearing statements of two ministers claiming that this is the first prominent arrest and that more are to come but who are they threatening? She said, adding: "If NAB is independent then it should conduct an inquiry against Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry." According to her, NAB is being used for political victimisation. Can NAB not see the potholes in KP Metro Bus project?