Islamabad: The Accountability Court (AC) of Lahore has issued show cause notice to the Secretary Home Department after son of the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, Hamza Shahbaz who is also opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly and a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) refused to appear before the court for hearing in different corruption references against him.
On Saturday, as the hearing resumed, judge of the AC, Amjad Nazir Chaudhry was informed that the accused didn’t come for the hearing.
On the judge’s query, Kot Lakhpat Jail superintendent informed that an armoured vehicle of the Punjab home department kept waiting outside the jail but the accused [Hamza Shahbaz] refused to use it and insisted he would go to the jail in a car other than the armoured vehicle.
Judges furious
The jail authorities’ reply infuriated the judge and he remarked, “Will now the accused decide if they wanted to appear in court or not? The administration has failed completely to delegate their duties.”
Daily, hundreds of prisoners arrive at the courts for their cases but none of them has ever demanded a vehicle of his/her choice, further said the judge.
Later, the accountability court rejecting the written reply of the jail authorities issued show cause notice to the Secretary Home Department of the Punjab, Chief City Police Officer (CCPO), SSP Operations and other senior police cops to appear in person on the next date of hearing i.e. November 10 and explain why they failed to make sure an accused is produced before the court as per normal procedure.
PML-N terms jail authorities’ stance ridiculous
Later, while talking to media persons, PML-N leader Attaullah Tarar termed the Kot Lakhpat jail authorities’ reply ridiculous and misleading. “Hamza Shahbaz is a prisoner and how can a prisoner decide whether he should appear before the court or not,” said he.
He further said at the gate of the Kot Lakhpat jail, the jail superintendent had a heated argument with Hamza Shahbaz and decided not to take him to the court hearing.
Hamza wanted limousine
The Punjab government officials and ministers however held it was the typical ruling class mindset because of that Hamza Shahbaz chose not to appear before the court. Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassaan Chohan criticized Hamza Shahbaz’ “arbitrary” decision of not going to the court and said, “Maybe he wanted to travel to the Accountability Court in a limousine car, Mercedes or a chartered plane.”
Hamza Shahbaz is facing corruption references filed by Pakistan’s anti-graft watchdog the National Accountability Court (NAB) in the Ramzan Sugar Mills, Saaf Pani and assets beyond known means of income cases. He was arrested by NAB on June 11, 2019.
