An Islamabad court ordered on Tuesday a 13-day custody for an opposition lawmaker who was detained a day earlier over his alleged role in corruption linked to a construction project.
Opposition
claims this was another episode in the government’s crackdown against political
opponents.
Ahsan
Iqbal, a senior Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader, was detained by
officials of the National Accountability Bureau, NAB, right after he appeared
before them on Monday to answer their questions related to alleged
misappropriation of government funds in the construction of the Narowal Sports
City, near the border to India.
The NAB
claims Iqbal started the project and allowed its cost to triple by “misusing”
his office while he served as planning and development minister.
Iqbal
denies the accusations and claims that the project was launched in 2009 while
his party came to power in 2013. He argues that the price of the project
increased because its scope was revised to meet international standards and
that the funds were approved by cabinet, parliament and the Executive Committee
of the National Economic Council.
Critics
say that Iqbal is the latest addition to the list of opposition politicians who
have been arrested over corruption allegations since Prime Minister Imran Khan
took office in August 2018. Khan won the elections after promising to end
widespread corruption.
Prior to
his arrest Iqbal had criticized Khan’s economic policies. He called Khan
Pakistan’s ‘biggest beggar’ who got billions from the International Monetary
Fund and other countries but failed to fix the economy.
Pakistan
Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) party president Shehbaz Sharif condemned Iqbal’s
detention as “regrettable.”
The
party’s spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb also blamed the government, saying that
"today, all competent and honest politicians are in jails."
Iqbal
will face the court on January 6.
https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/11360-pakistan-detains-another-opposition-leader-over-corruption