Shehbaz Sharif’s Minister’s Enclave residence declared sub-jail

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday issued a notification declaring the Minister’s Enclave residence of Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif a sub-jail.

Shehbaz was arrested on October 5 in the Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme case after he appeared before NAB in the Saaf Pani case.

“In exercise of powers conferred under section 24(f) of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999, I, Justice Javed Iqbal, Chairman, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) hereby notify the 26, Minister Enclave, Islamabad as sub-jail for the purpose of detention of accused under the NAO, 1999,” the notification stated.

Earlier on Monday, an accountability court in Lahore extended the physical remand of Sharif by 10 days in the Ashiana Housing scheme case.

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Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme case

Last month, Shehbaz Sharif was summoned by NAB in the Ashiana Housing case while former Lahore Development Authority chairman Ahad Cheema is on judicial remand after having been arrested over the case.

In July, the accountability bureau arrested senior bureaucrat Fawad Hassan Fawad in various corruption cases, including the Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme case.

Sources revealed that Shehbaz had been summoned in the case after revelations made by Fawad during interrogation.

According to NAB officials, Fawad wrongfully awarded the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme's contract to 'favourites', illegally ordered the shifting of nine CNG stations and also worked in a private bank from 2005 to 2006 without official permission.

Moreover, while being the provincial health secretary, Fawad acquired six mobile health units which were purchased at a higher-than-market rate, a NAB spokesperson said.

Fawad has served as former PM Nawaz Sharif's principal secretary and is considered close to the former premier. He was removed from the post of principal secretary on June 1 this year and was appointed director general of Civil Services Academy, Lahore.

The accused bureaucrat was also being probed by NAB for possession of assets beyond known sources of income.

According to NAB, the contract for the housing scheme was won by a construction company titled Chaudhry Latif and Sons.

However, NAB says then Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his aides awarded the Rs14 billion contract to Lahore Casa Developers — a proxy group of Paragon City (Pvt) Limited, which is said to be owned by Railways Minister Saad Rafique.

Fawad, who was implementation secretary to the chief minister Punjab at the time, levelled charges of wrongdoings against Chaudhry Latif and Sons in order for the contract to be awarded to Casa Developers.