Shehbaz initiated media trial of NAB, says Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Friday said it was Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif who started the media-trial of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) during his appearance in the house after his arrest last month.

The minister was responding to a PML-N leader’s criticism of the Bureau for what he said maligning members of Parliament.

Led by the PML-N, the opposition on Friday moved a privilege motion in the National Assembly calling attention to NAB Lahore Director General Saleem Shehzad’s interviews to several TV channels in which he talked about the cases against Shehbaz Sharif.

The minister said the submission of a privilege motion on an issue under probe is unconstitutional, and added the opposition wanted to influence the NAB probe against politicians.

He said Shehbaz conducted the media trial of the Bureau for an hour during his speech in the house last month. 

Former prime minister and senior PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi moved the motion, stating that the NAB’s Lahore Director General Saleem Shahzad staged a media-trial of opposition politicians in TV interviews.

“This is not about a single member but the entire parliament. A government official on the directives of the chairman of an institution has breached privilege of the entire house, defamed its members, and violated the law. If this house will not question him today, then who will?,” asked Abbasi.

Speaker Asad Qaiser said the privilege motion was as per the rules and added he would seek legal opinion on it.