ISLAMABAD (Wednesday, 20th Feb,2019) – The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and Sindh Assembly Speaker ‘Agha Siraj Durrani’ today and secured his three-day transit remand.
Agha Durrani, who was under investigation in three cases pertaining to illegal appointments, accumulating assets beyond means and embezzlement of funds, was arrested from a private hotel in Islamabad and taken to the NAB office in Rawalpindi.
Later, the NAB officials presented him before an accountability court and sought his seven-day transit remand. “The relevant authority issued Agha Durrani’s arrest warrants and references against him are ongoing in Karachi,” NAB officials told the court.
As the court refused to grant seven-day transit remand, NAB officials said, “We will take him to Karachi today or tomorrow and asked for more time owing to bad weather.” Agha Durrani then told the court, “I was scheduled to depart for Karachi at 7 pm today.”
The court then ordered that Agha Durrani’s medical examination be conducted today and granted NAB three-day transit remand of Agha Durrani. The accountability court directed that Agha Durrani be presented before a relevant court in Karachi after three days.
A letter from NAB to the Secretary Sindh Assembly said Agha Durrani had been arrested “due to his involvement in the offence of corruption and corrupt practices as Minister Local Government, Government of Sindh and Speaker, Sindh Assembly”.
“He has been charged for accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income which he could not reasonably account for,” said the letter.
NAB had initiated three separate inquiries against Durrani last year for allegedly owning assets beyond means, illegally recruiting 352 individuals on various government positions and embezzlement of funds for the construction of the MPA Hostel and construction of the new Sindh Assembly building.
Sources said, “The decision to arrest Agha Durrani was taken during a meeting in which NAB officials were informed that the PPP leader is currently in Islamabad.”
Durrani was re-elected as Sindh Assembly speaker in August 2018.
Agha Durrani shifted to NAB office in Karachi
Later in the day, NAB officials took Agha Durrani to Karachi from Islamabad airport.
The Sindh Assembly speaker was shifted to NAB office in the megapolis, which had stringent security measures in place.
NAB team searches Agha Durrani’s residence
A team of officials also raided the provincial assembly speaker’s residence in Karachi and searched the house for several hours.
The team left late evening with belongings taken in three boxes as per sources.
Bilawal’s Response: Arrest an unacceptable attempt to dislodge Sindh govt
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted, “Hum Baynami wazeer-e-azam ko baywardi Aamriat Qaaim nahi karnay dainga [We will not let a fake prime minister be a dictator without a uniform].”
“Attack on speaker of federating unit is [an] unacceptable, undemocratic attempt to dislodge Sindh govt. Failed before will fail again. Independent institutions shouldn’t unwittingly be part of political engineering,” he added.