Maryam's press conference a charge sheet against Shehbaz Sharif: Shahzad Akbar

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability, Shahzad Akbar, said that today it became evident that Maryam Nawaz's press conference was a charge sheet against her uncle, party president Shehbaz Sharif.

The prime minister's aide made the comments hours after Shehbaz, had been arrested as the Lahore High Court turned down his bail plea. Maryam held a scathing press conference soon after the arrest, warning that it will not slow down the anti-government movement.

"Maryam has closed the door on her uncle's politics," he said while addressing a news conference alongside information minister Shibli Faraz on Monday, adding that she agreed that Shehbaz believes in the politics of reconciliation.

"Your [Maryam] speech was a speech of victory," Akbar claimed.

Talking about the upcoming Gilgit-Baltistan elections, he asked how many times had the opposition leader visited the area in the last six months.

"PML-N is a Punjab-based party, they do not have any concerns about GB," he claimed.

Taking a jibe at Nawaz, he said that the former prime minister had been the country's chief executive three times, but his business and children had remained abroad.

Lashing out at PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Auranghzeb, Shahzad said that she was a "rented" spokesperson and that she could face the charges of contempt of court for speaking out against the cancellation of Shehbaz's bail. 

'Ali Baba and smart thieves'

Speaking on the PML-N president's arrest, he said that the court observed that Shehbaz could be arrested hence it rejected bail. "They are all Ali Baba and smart thieves".

Shehbaz has accumulated assets beyond means, he said, adding that whenever a court's verdict comes in the party's favour, they keep on praising it.

Akbar rejected the notion that the case was targeting Shehbaz's children, adding that it was instead against the opposition leader's 'gang'.

Akbar said that the case mentioned that Shehbaz had accumulated assets worth a fortune through money laundering. "You transferred the money back to Pakistan after sending it abroad to whiten it."

Shehbaz first transferred the money to his spouse's account and then it was sent to his account, he said, wondering why Manzoor, a papar wala, was sending millions of dollars to his wife's account.

The PM's aide said that Shehbaz's employees confessed that they had no connection to the benami companies. "Shehbaz Sharif, you are guilty of doing corruption worth billions of rupees," he said.

Akbar said that Shehbaz had termed it NAB-government nexus after his plea was rejected. "Do you want selected decisions that are in your favour?"