LHC grants bail, orders release of Shehbaz Sharif

LAHORE - The Lahore High Court on Thursday approved Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif's bail pleas in Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases, ordering his release.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Malik Shehzad Ahmed heard Shehbaz and Fawad Hasan Fawad's bail petitions, rejecting the petition of the latter in one of the cases.

The bench reserved its decision but later ordered the release of the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

Moreover, the bench accepted Fawad's bail petition in the Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme case but rejected the petition in the case pertaining to owing assets beyond known sources of income.

The National Accountability Bureau had taken Shehbaz Sharif into custody in October 2018 in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal project, after the politician appeared before the bureau.

Shehbaz had filed a bail plea in the LHC in January stating that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed the case contrary to the law.

The case was made on political grounds, Shehbaz had contended in the petition while mentioning medical reasons in his petition as well.

Shahbaz was sent on judicial remand after the accountability court denied the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) request for further physical remand on Dec 6.

The bureau had kept Shahbaz in custody for over 80 days since his arrest and the politician had expressed in his speech that there was an unholy nexus between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the bureau.

Production orders were issued for the former chief minister Punjab by the Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser multiple times.

Shehbaz Sharif was also appointed as the chairman of Public Accounts Committee though the government is actively considering to remove him from the position.