LAHORE:A National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) approver has retracted from his statement in Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme reference against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and others.
As per a written order of previous hearing released here on Tuesday, the development came during the hearing of the reference before Accountability Court Judge Sajid Ali Awan, where NAB’s approver Israr Saeed, a former chief engineer of Lahore Development Authority, had appeared for recording his statement.
During cross examination by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s counsel Advocate Amjad Pervaiz, the approver back-tracked from his statement and admitted that he gave the first statement due to pressure and coercion. He submitted that the Ashiana Housing was a transparent project and no violation of law took place in it. Shehbaz Sharif and other accused have not committed any crime, he added.
He submitted that then director general NAB Lahore Shahzad Saleem, director NAB Muhammad Rafi and investigation officer Aftab Iqbal compelled him to give a false statement. He admitted that Shahzad Saleem had asked him to level allegations against Shehbaz Sharif as he wanted to use the statement for his (Shehbaz Sharif) bail cancellation.” I was threatened to open close inquiries and create new cases”, he added.
Israr Saeed further submitted that director NAB Muhammad Rafi showed him arrest warrants and offered to sign a written statement. However, upon refusal, the bureau arrested him, and got his ten days physical remand, he added.
He submitted that during the remand period, he was made to wait for a half an hour to hour to go to the washroom whereas a mat was provided for sleep.
He revealed that then NAB chairman Javed Iqbal and DG NAB Lahore Shahzad Saleem also visited him during the second remand period and said that they had pressure and asked him to sign the statement. Israr Saeed submitted that he was forced to sign the statement which was not true. He submitted that after becoming an approver, the NAB did not oppose his bail petition in the Lahore High Court.