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ISLAMABAD, (MANEND NEWS): Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting
Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday held a press conference in Islamabad to provide details
of the money-laundering case against Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly
Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif.
Responding to Shahbaz Sharif’s press conference earlier in the day, Fawad Chaudhry said
that “he lied for more than one hour during the briefing”. “Shahbaz held a long press
conference today but nobody was able to understand what he was trying to say,” Fawad
said. “He continued to lie throughout the one hour and 10 minutes of the press conference
instead of providing answers to the allegations cases against him.”
The information minister went on to say that the “Sharif family has become habitual to
distorting the truth.” He continued: “Unfortunately, fake news was disseminated two days
ago and all those involved in publishing the news are well-known to the public for having
ties with the Sharif family.”
“The headlines that were carried [by a media outlet] were part of a fake propaganda,”
Fawad maintained, adding that the money-laundering probe initiated against the Sharif
family in London was “not started upon the request of the Pakistani government.”
He said that the two-year-long probe by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency
(NCA) was launched into the accounts of a frontman named Zulfiqar Ahmed.
“The NCA had started probing the accounts of Zulfiqar Ahmed and Suleman Shahbaz. It
was the agency’s own decision [and had nothing to do with the Pakistani government].”
The NCA also approached Pakistan’s Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) to seek the details of
financial transactions and hundis. “The case was neither initiated by the Pakistani
government nor mentioned anything about Shahbaz Sharif,” he said.
He said that there are two ongoing “ripe” cases against Shahbaz Sharif in Pakistani
courts. One of the cases was registered by NAB Lahore against Shahbaz Sharif and his
family members in reference to Rs7.32 billion.
Fawad said that for the last six months, the court did not have a judge which allowed
Shahbaz to hold press conferences and deliver speeches in the assembly. “It is because
the proceedings of these cases are not being held on a day to day basis,” he said.
Providing further details, Fawad said that there is another Rs25 billion case against
Shahbaz registered by the FIA as a result of the probe carried out by the Sugar Inquiry
Commission.
Fawad said that when the PTI government and Prime Minister Imran Khan talk about
accountability and the looted money, they are only concerned because “this money
belongs to the people of Pakistan.” “When we talk about accountability, we talk about
handing over the looted money back to the people of Pakistan,” said Fawad Chaudhry.