Saeed Ghani declares he will go to NAB's Karachi office on Monday, offer himself up for arrest

• Saeed Ghani says he will offer himself  up for arrest to NAB on Monday.
• Says even if NAB puts in request for a 90-day remand, he will not object.
• "As soon as I spoke out against Haleem Adil Sheikh, all this began," says minister.

Minister for Education and Labour Sindh Saeed Ghani on Saturday announced that he will go to the Karachi office of the National Accountability Bureau on Monday and offer himself up for arrest.

"I said this yesterday, and today I am saying it again. Investigate me, file a case, I will not seek bail," Ghani said, while addressing a press conference in Karachi.

"I will go to to NAB's office on Monday. I will say 'Here I am. Arrest me if you will. Take me away on remand'."

He went on to state that even if NAB puts in a request for a 90-day remand, he will not enter a plea.

Ghani said that NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal is "continuously blackmailed by the government".

The minister said that no notice was ever issued against him for speaking out against the NAB chairman.

He said that PPP members Khursheed Shah and Aijaz Jhakrani were being subjected to "cruelty" and when he spoke out against it, he was told action will be taken against him under Section 31-A (absconding to avoid service of warrants) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

"Then in another press release, it was stated that some investigations are underway against me in NAB's Karachi office," he said.

"I do not fear any probe against me. They can go right ahead," the minister said.

He reiterated that he had spoken out against the NAB chairman multiple times, but no one spoke of any action under Section 31-A. "As soon as I spoke out against Haleem Adil Sheikh, all this began," he said.

Ghani said that it was "NAB itself that had stated that Sheikh had illegally occupied 264 acres of land". "Why is he not being arrested? Why is his name not on the ECL?"

"I will go to NAB's office alone on Monday. I will not take any party worker with me. We will see what happens," the minister said.

"This is the NAB-Niazi nexus. NAB is the political weapon of PTI," he added.

NAB to send Ghani legal notice

A day earlier, NAB issued a statement denying several allegations made by Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani, saying that an investigation is under process against Ghani by NAB Karachi after due process of law.

“The NAB has already clarified that NAB Karachi Bureau was conducting an inquiry against Haleem Adil Sheikh after being authorised by the relevant authority,” the NAB statement stated in response to Ghani's allegation.

The NAB statement said a legal notice will be sent to Ghani for "misleading the public and trying to tarnish the image of NAB”.

Ghani had accused the anti-graft body of protecting PTI MPA Haleem Adil Sheikh, saying that NAB was afraid Sheikh would be arrested by the Anti-Corruption Establishment hence it opened an inquiry against the PTI leader to stall his arrest.

He also shared the NAB statement, mockingly saying: "I have blasphemed against the NAB chairman. I have spoken of PTI's corruption. Of course they will teach me a lesson."