The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has questioned the Supreme Court’s decision to take up the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) plea to reopen the Rs1.2bn Hudaibya Paper Mills corruption reference against ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s family, saying it is unjustified to reopen a case that had been put to rest on a court order.
The PML-N’s reaction came after a meeting between Mr Sharif and his younger brother Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Railways Minister Saad Rafique at his Jati Umra residence on Saturday.
Sources said the participants expressed concern over the role of the establishment in creating an alliance — Pakistan Awami Ittehad — by retired Gen Pervez Musharraf, and bringing the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Pak Sar Zameen (PSP) onto one platform. They also discussed the party’s preparations for the upcoming general elections and taking opposition parties on board regarding the legislation on delimitation.
“The reopening of Hudaibya Paper Mills case which had been closed in the wake of a court decision is unjustified,” Mr Rafique tweeted after the meeting. “Plans to entangle the PML-N leadership (Nawaz and Shahbaz) through such cases will not succeed. Confrontation will lead all of us nowhere,” the minister said.
