Suleman Shehbaz, the son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has been granted protective bail for 14 days in the money laundering case filed by the FIA.
Suleman’s petition was heard by a division bench comprising of Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan.
Suleman Shehbaz, who had been living in self-imposed exile for four years, showed up before the court during the proceedings.
Suleman had been living in London since 2018 when he left Pakistan after attending a few hearings after the NAB and FIA filed multiple cases against him in advance of the general election.
Due to his absence from court appearances, he had been declared a fugitive.
Suleman criticised Imran Khan, the former prime minister, for the political victimisation of the Sharif family and PML-N leaders while speaking to the media outside the high court.
In reference to the Daily Mail’s since-retracted allegations, he claimed Shahzad Akbar had been travelling to the UK at Mr. Khan’s direction to involve the Sharif family in fictitious legal proceedings.
Additionally, he charged the PTI leader with extorting retired Justice Javed Iqbal, a former chairman of the NAB, to tighten the noose around the opposition parties at the time.
He also poked fun at the former premier for selling a pricey watch he received as a gift from the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, accusing Mr. Khan of massive corruption during his tenure.
He claimed that the misuse of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa helicopter was the responsibility of the PTI leader.
The son of PM Shehbaz announced his intention to return from exile on December 7 and submitted a petition to the IHC asking for protective bail in the case.
“Despite the fact I have been living in the UK since October 27th, 2018, I had never received a notice from the FIA, who had filed a case against me while I was away. I left the country in 2018, but the case was only lodged in 2020 and afterward. The court should set protective bail of two weeks,” He presented an argument in his petition.
