ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday arrested senior PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah in a case regarding his alleged assets beyond means.
“NAB Sukkur has arrested Syed Khursheed Shah in the assets beyond means case,” a brief handwritten statement issued by NAB Islamabad said.
He will be presented before the relevant accountability court in Sukkur for remand tomorrow, the press release added.
The PPP stalwart was arrested in a joint operation by NAB’s Rawalpindi and Sukkur chapters. He will remain in NAB Rawalpindi’s custody tonight.
Shah was taken away by nearly 20 personnel of NAB and police during a raid at his Islamabad residence, the domestic staff at his house told media.
They claimed that the NAB and police personnel had neither allowed any discussion nor let the servants take out their mobile phones before they took Shah away with them.
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has called a press conference in the wake of Shah’s arrest.
Reacting to the development, PPP senior leader Sherry Rehman said Shah, an MNA, was arrested while the National Assembly session was underway without intimating the NA speaker to “further your condemnable objectives”.
“On one hand we say that the law of jungle is prevailing in the world through which Kashmir is being subjected to state oppression; it appears that something similar is happening here.”
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, another PPP leader, termed Shah’s arrest a “very wrong step” on the part of the government.
“Had Khursheed Shah sahib run away from the country? Had to refuse to attend any inquiry against him?” he questioned. He added that the arrest will harm the expression of unity that is currently required of the nation.
Multiple corruption cases against Shah are under investigation with NAB. In 2012, an accountability court had directed NAB to file a reference against him on a complaint pertaining to alleged accumulation of illegitimate assets