THE noose of accountability is tightening around the PML (N) leadership. National Accountability Bureau (NAB)
took yet another big action on Wednesday when it arrested former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in a multi-billion-rupee case related to the award of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contract.
PML (N) President Shahbaz Sharif, who himself is facing NAB cases, along with other party leaders strongly denounced the latest arrest describing it political victimization. d The party indeed is feeling the heat of accountability but it should not distort the facts. The party must not forget that these cases including that of LNG contract came to the fore when the PML (N) was in power and the PTI has nothing to do with it. The difference, however, is that today the NAB is functioning more freely and independently and trying to net the big fish which was not the case in yester years. As regards the arrest of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in LNG case is concerned, he is facing the accusation of handing over a tender worth Rs.220 billion to a Company in which he was a shareholder himself. The former Prime Minister had said several times in the recent past that he had not committed any illegality in the award of contracts for LNG import and, therefore, he could prove his innocence at any forum. If that is the case then he should have fully cooperated with the NAB and should have appeared before the Bureau on Thursday. According to the team investigating Abbasi, the former PM had only answered 20 out of the 75 questions he had been asked. They said that despite giving him time, Abbasi had continually asked for more time to answer these questions. The people want to know the truth of all the NAB cases either they are registered against the leaders of the Opposition or the ruling parties. If Shahid Khaqan Abbasi really feels that he has not done anything wrong, he should fully cooperate with the anti-graft body to prove his innocence. Same applies for the NAB to bring all the corruption cases to the logical conclusion.
