PESHAWAR, July 8: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team arrested on Sunday former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law Captain (Retd) Muhammad Safdar, who is wanted in relation to Avenfield properties reference case.
Safdar, along with wife Maryam and father-in-law Nawaz Sharif, was given on Friday jail term in the Avenfield properties case. Nawaz and Maryam were sentenced to 11 and eight years in prison and slapped £8-million and £2-million fines, respectively. Capt (retd) Safdar also received a one-year prison sentence.
Two high-ranking NAB officials took Safdar into custody after he appeared at a party rally in Rawalpindi. Around 3,000 people were around the vehicle in which the NAB officials accompanied the former prime minister’s son-in-law.
After reaching the election office of PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi, Safdar was officially arrested and shifted into the vehicle of NAB team.
NAB officials said that Safdar has been taken to the authority’s office in Islamabad. After a medical check up he would be shifted to Adiala Jail.
The NAB said that if Capt (Retd) Safdar had to give voluntarily arrest then he should have done it on Saturday.
Safdar is a convict and media should refrain from promoting him, said the probe body, adding that it can ‘lead to lawlessness’.
The authority said that those assisting the former PM’s son-in-law will face action against them.
Earlier on Sunday, local leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were leading a party rally on Liaquat Road when Safdar disembarked from a vehicle and joined him amid cheers of supporters. PML-N leaders Senator Chaudhry Tanveer and Malik Shakeel Awan, among others, were leading the rally and brought Safdar into their fold. Talking to a private TV Channel , Safdar said he is here to court arrest among his supporters. He added that the time has come to decide which path the country has to tread. The husband of Maryam Nawaz released an audio message stating, “I had earlier decided to court arrest in Tarnol, but as per the party’s decision I will now surrender from another city.”
Nawaz’s son-in-law in the audio message further expressed hope that “Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz will sweep the elections from Hazara”.-Agencies
