LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday arrested Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President, Shehbaz Sharif, in Saaf Pani Company case.
The PML-N president was served summons recently and he appeared today to record his statement where he was taken into custody by the NAB officials.
According to NAB officials, Shahbaz was summoned because he, in his capacity as a chief minister, had approved the alleged illegal projects being run by the company.
His son Hamza Shehbaz, former provincial finance minister Ayesha Ghaus Pasha and former MPA Waheed Gul were also summoned by the anti-graft watchdog previously.
Director General of NAB Lahore in his briefing in June this year had stated that during Shehbaz’s tenure in Punjab, the water plants costing 0.5 billion were reportedly installed at the additional cost of 1.5 billion. Four billion were given under the pretext of consultancy, he explained while adding that the company did new hiring on the orders of Shehbaz Sharif.
Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed had earlier conceded before the Supreme Court that a single drop of water couldn’t be made available to the people of the province despite the government having spent Rs4 billion on the Saaf Pani Project.
The chief secretary told the judges that so far Rs4 billion had been spent on Punjab Saaf Pani Company (PSPC), set up with an aim to ensure supply of potable water to the people, but not a single drop of water could be supplied.
Justice Nisar had expressed displeasure over the authorities, saying so much money was squandered on advertisement campaign, but the project couldn’t be completed.
He reiterated that everyone will be held to account and that he will ensure every single penny of public money is returned to the national exchequer. ARY
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