Accountability court on Tuesday has approved 13-day physical remand of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Ahsan Iqbal in Narowal sports city project case after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) produced him before the court.
According to media details, accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir headed the hearing, during which the NAB officials has requested for Ahsan Iqbal’s physical remand.
On Monday, the NAB arrested former Planning minister Ahsan Iqbal in Narowal Sports Complex case.
The anti-graft watchdog body alleged that the PML-N leader had illegally initiated a project of Rs 3 billion in Narowal; causing a loss worth billions to the national exchequer.
NAB claimed to have received a complaint that the Narowal Sports City was constructed at a cost of approximately Rs6 billion, which was a violation of rules and had incurred heavy losses to the national exchequer.
Earlier, Ahsan Iqbal maintained his innocence in the case, which is related to mega corruption in the project in Iqbal's home constituency.
Addressing media persons in Islamabad, he said that the PTI government has failed to deliver and destroyed the economy of the country. He maintained that the PML-N will rescue the country out of the crisis.
He also lashed out at the Imran Khan-led government for "using NAB for character assassination of PML-N leaders".
Regarding Narowal Sports City, Iqbal said that Rs2.5 billion were spent on construction of the project. “How can I commit corruption of Rs6 billion when the cost of the project is low?"
Iqbal, who was inducted as interior minister to ex-PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's cabinet last year, is a staunch supporter of Nawaz Sharif and the former ruling party (PMLN). He also headed the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms during the previous government.
