Suleman Shehbaz gets 14 days protective bail

Suleman Shehbaz gets protective bail for 14 days!

In the latest development, Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday granted protective bail to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s son Suleman for 14 days and directed him to appear before the court hearing the money laundering case against him.

Chief Justice Aamer Farooq took up Suleman Shehbaz’s petition seeking bail in the case as Suleman surrendered before the high court.

IHC has directed Suleman Shehbaz to appear before the Lahore court hearing a money laundering case against him.

In his filed petition, Suleman contended that he left Pakistan in 2018 and the case was registered against him in 2020. He also shared that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had not issued a call-up notice to him, adding that he was declared a proclaimed offender by the court without any action.

Suleman Shehbaz has been residing in London during his self-imposed exile since 2018 when the NAB and the FIA launched multiple cases against him ahead of the general election and he moved out of Pakistan after appearing in a few hearings.

He had been declared absconder for not appearing before courts.

Speaking to media outside the Islamabad high court, Suleman slammed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and said that his time of accountability is here.

“The time of accountability is here; we will not spare him. We will not give him any space now, he will be punished,” he said.

While referring to the Daily Mail’s now-withdrawn allegations, he said Shahzad Akbar had been visiting the UK on Mr Khan’s nod to embroil the Sharif family in fake cases.

He also accused the PTI chief of blackmailing former NAB chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal to tighten the noose around the then-opposition parties.

Questioning about Farah Gogi, a friend of Imran Khan’s wife who allegedly sold the watches gifted to Khan, Suleman wondered why did she run away from Pakistan.

“You are crying that Farah Gogi is not a public office holder. I was not a public office holder either,” said Suleman. He added that PTI chairman, while he was in power, did not even think about women and arrested them.

“You had the power, you could have proven the cases,” he said.