Heated NA session likely today over Shehbaz Sharif’s arrest

ISLAMABAD: A heated session of the National Assembly will take place today (Wednesday) as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is expected to protest party president Shehbaz Sharif’s arrest.

The leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, who has been in the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) custody since October 5 in connection to the Ashiana Housing Scheme case, will also attend the session of the Lower House and is expected to deliver a speech.

NAB teams have brought Shehbaz from Lahore to Islamabad for the session. After the session is over, the PML-N president will taken back to the provincial capital.

Last week, NA Speaker Asad Qaiser issued Shehbaz’s production orders.

The NA session has been summoned on a requisition of PML-N leaders. Shortly after Shehbaz’s arrest, a PML-N delegation had visited the NA speaker’s house and requisitioned that a session of the Lower House be called immediately to debate over the matter.

On Tuesday, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) agreed upon a strategy to deal with the possible protest that the opposition may carry out during the session today. During an important meeting summoned by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the PTI decided that it would have strong responses in light of the realities of the Opposition’s criticism. It is noteworthy that there is a high likelihood that Khan, himself, would also attend today’s NA session, sources noted.

A day earlier, an accountability court in Lahore granted NAB a 14-day extension in the physical remand of the former Punjab chief minister. Shehbaz was arrested on October 5 when he appeared before NAB to record his statement in the Punjab Saaf Pani Company case.