Clashes outside NAB office: Fawad Chaudhry demands PPP to tender apology

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry, on Wednesday demanded Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership to tender apology over clashing security officials outside the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) office, ARY News reported.

The information minister, while addressing media, said that he hoped that PPP and its leadership will table an apology to the police and nation over the [violent] behaviour exhibited by the political workers outside NAB office.

He said that police officials have brought the deteriorated situation under control in a peaceful manner.

Chaudhry criticised the chaos created by the PPP workers, saying that it was strange to see [their reaction] when they [PPP top leaders] have been called to face investigation. He said, however, the accountability process will not be stopped by demonstrating such [aggressive] activities.

He detailed that around 500 persons were gathered outside the NAB office while Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was delivering his speech in such manner that he was addressing a crowd of millions.

The information minister warned that the state will fulfil its responsibility if limits were crossed. He clarified that it was impossible to affect the ongoing process of investigation by showing violent attitude against the state institutions.

At least five police personnel sustained wounds when PPP workers hurled stones at them in a bid to enter the NAB premises before the arrival of the PPP chairman and co-chairman, according to police sources. Subsequently, the police personnel retaliated by baton-charging and arresting some rowdy workers.

Following a call by the PPP leadership, hundreds of party workers turned up outside the NAB office to express solidarity with their leaders.

Earlier in the day, the former president Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Islamabad and recorded their statements in the Park Lane Estate case amid tight security.

Sources said the father-son duo were interrogated by two different teams of the bureau in separate rooms for more than an hour and provided a questionnaire comprising 50 questions after their statements were recorded.