The Lahore High Court stopped the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from arresting PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and granted an interim bail till June 17 to him, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Wednesday

The orders came as a two-member bench rejected the request made by NAB to allow the arrest as the anti-graft body presented arguments against the bail plea.

The two-member bench also issued a notice to NAB and sought a reply. But just minutes later, the Bureau again issued its own notice and directed Shehbaz to appear in person before the interrogators on June 9 in the assets beyond means case.

Soon after the hearing, Shehbaz left the LHC as a large number of the party workers chanted slogans in his favour to express their jubilation.

https://twitter.com/president_pmln/status/1268083247784878081

Expressing his views, he thanked the court and said the NAB-Niazi nexus had ripped apart justice.

During the hearing, Amjad Pervaiz – the counsel for Shehbaz – said his client was a cancer patient. The NAB was anxious to arrest Shehbaz despite the fact that all the required record had been submitted.

The PML-N president had been summoned on June 2 but the arrest warrants were issued on May 28, his counsel highlighted this contradiction. When the court asked about anomaly, NAB prosecutor Faisal Bokhari argued that the warrants for issued after obtaining the related material. Answering another query, he informed the court that the case was currently at the investigation stage.

After hearing the arguments from both parties, the two-member bench accepted the bail plea with directives to submit Rs0.5 million surety bonds.   

Earlier, the LHC registrar ordered the police to remove barriers from the roads as well as a large contingent of police and allow free movement, which had been placed in attempt to the arrest the PML-N president.

Along with the heavy ordinary police contingent, a large number of antiriot police were also deployed around the LHC premises and on the roads leading to the premises.

As Shehbaz reached the LHC, the party workers welcomed him as they encircled his SUV and chanted slogans against the government.

https://twitter.com/president_pmln/status/1268080108016992256

The strict measures adopted by the administration can gauged by the fact that PML-N provincial chief Rana Sanaullah was also stopped at Regal Chowk. However, he refused to cooperate with the police or open the vehicle’s doors, saying he won’t allow them to search in the absence of media. Who knows the police may have a bag of heroin, he remarked.

However, he was allowed to move towards the LHC after the administration and police officials held talks with lawyers.

Other PML-N leaders, including Marriyum Aurangzeb, Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan and Azma Bokhari, were among those reaching the court premises.

They described the accountability process as political victimisation and an attempt to silence Shehbaz. However, they were not afraid of arrests and prison, they added.

Speaking on the occasion, Marriyum said it was anti-people government comprising thieves. Similarly, Azma Bokhari said seeking relief from courts was a right of every citizen and the government could not deny the right of obtaining bail from Shehbaz.