Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that nothing could be more catastrophic than such an enormous hike in petroleum products’ prices, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Speaking to the media outside an accountability court (AC) in Lahore, he said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government had failed to deliver goods. “The more PTI remains in power, the more the economy will suffer,” he opined.

He said the government had completely failed to control the dengue virus. “We (the opposition) will come out on the roads against price hike,” he said, and added, “Despite the fact that inflation in the country is already at its peak, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has pressured the government to levy more taxes on the masses,” he regretted.

Earlier, the AC adjourned the hearing of three cases against PML-N and his son Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz namely money laundering, Ashiana Housing Scheme and Ramzan Sugar Mills until November 5.

Speaking on the occasion, Shehbaz’s counsel Chaudhry Nawaz said there was a difficulty in noting down the witnesses’ accounts due to the NAB Amendment Ordinance.

Explaining his point, he said under the recently promulgated ordinance, it is now mandatory to record the audio as well as make the video of a witness while he was recording his statement, while there was no such arrangement in the courts as yet. “It is not yet in clear whether the witnesses’ accounts will be jotted down on a piece of paper or will they be recorded.

Shehbaz prayed to the court that since he had to leave for Islamabad to attend the NA session, he be allowed to leave. 

The court in response asked the NAB prosecutor to submit his reply in the case on the next date of hearing, particularly with reference to the difficulties in recording witnesses’ accounts as pointed out by the lawyer for the defence. 

Strict security measures were put in place inside as well as outside the court, while a large number of PML-N activists were also present outside the court to welcome Shehbaz and his son Hamza.

 

Reporter Jamaluddin Jamali