Shehbaz excuses himself from chairing PAC meeting

ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader of the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday excused himself from chairing a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) owing to severe backache. 

According to sources, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president will not be able to go to the Parliament for a PAC meeting as he was strongly advised by his doctors to rest after his backache worsened.

On Jan 2, doctors examined Shehbaz and performed physiotherapy after he complained of severe pain in his back and neck.

Last year, on Oct 6, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Shehbaz in the Ashiana Housing Scheme case and detained him in a prison in Lahore.

Shehbaz was elected Chairman of the PAC in a meeting  at Parliament House in Islamabad on Dec 21, 2018. The PAC unanimously elected Shehbaz as its chairman.

However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government conceded the chairmanship of PAC to Shehbaz, almost three months of stalemate over the key position. Several federal ministers of the PTI still have reservations over the appointment of Shehbaz on the top post. Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad also hinted to move the Supreme Court in this regard.