Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
Two former Pakistani prime ministers, Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, will appear before a court on Monday for a hearing on a treason case, local media reported.
Sharif has been charged with treason for his controversial July interview with local daily Dawn, in which he accused the country's security agencies of turning a blind eye to the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
Over 150 people were killed in the deadly attacks for which New Delhi blames Pakistani intelligence agencies. Islamabad, however, denies any involvement.
A Pakistani court on Saturday remanded opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif in custody of anti-corruption authorities for 10 days in a housing scheme scandal.Shehbaz Sharif, younger brother of three-time premier Nawaz Sharif and three-time chief minister of the most populous province Punjab, was taken away by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the northeastern city of Lahore.Earlier, he was brought to the court in an armored personnel carrier surrounded by security officials.His son Hamza Shehbaz led hundreds of party workers outside the courtroom who chanted slogans against the government and NAB.Footage on television showed scores of supporters trying to enter the packed courtroom, compelling the judge to postpone the hearing for sometime.Shehbaz Sharif, who also heads the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, is accused of cancelling a housing contract and transferring it to his preferred company for the construction of low-cost houses for the poor and middle-class in Punjab, a stronghold of the party.Shehbaz Sharif, who is facing several other cases, rejected the allegation saying he had cancelled the said contract because it was granted to a blacklisted company.His arrest came days before by-elections on 37 national and provincial assembly seats.Nawaz Sharif, who remains embroiled in corruption cases, after being ousted, jailed and then released on bail, called the arrest "political vendetta" -- a contention also supported by several local media outlets and independent analysts.Blaming the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government for victimization, he said in an interview to Geo News: "You better go to that length which you can bear when you are in opposition."
Court remands Pakistani opposition leader in graft case
Abbasi, who served as premier for eight months following the disqualification of his predecessor Sharif due to a corruption case, has been charged with "facilitating" the controversial interview.
The interviewer Cyril Almeida is also among the accused.
All the three accused will appear before a full bench of the Lahore High Court, local broadcaster Dunya TV reported.
Sharif who served as premier for three terms, was sentenced to 10 years in jail last July but was released on bail after the Islamabad High Court suspended the sentence last month.
He remains embroiled in another two corruption cases.
Pakistan’s top court on Friday ordered a probe into the 2014 deadly school attack that claimed lives of over 140 people, mostly schoolchildren, local media reported.A three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar ordered the formation of a commission to probe the attack on Army Public School in Peshawar city, said Geo News, a local broadcaster.The commission will be headed by a senior judge of the high court and will submit its report to the apex court within six weeks.Pakistan anti-graft agents arrest opposition leader Shehbaz SharifOn Dec. 16, 2014, six Taliban militants stormed Army Public School located in Cantt area of Peshawar city and killed 140 people, including 122 schoolchildren and their teachers.Outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility for the attack.The families and parents of victims had been demanding the formation of a judicial commission.Pakistani religious leaders to work for Afghan peacePakistan: Population of endangered green turtle on risePakistan expelling 17 foreign aid groups
Pakistani court orders probe into 2014 school attack