NAB Clears Nawaz Sharif in Toshakhana Vehicle Case

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has given a clean chit to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Toshakhana vehicle reference. The Toshakhana is a government department that stores gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments, states, and foreign dignitaries.

The case filed by NAB alleged that then-prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani allowed the retention of vehicles gifted to Nawaz Sharif and then-president Asif Ali Zardari by relaxing procedures related to the submission of gifts in the Toshakhana. The accused retained the vehicles in question against a nominal payment of 15 per cent of the total value.

In a report submitted to an Islamabad accountability court, NAB stated that the vehicle in question was gifted to Nawaz Sharif by the government of Saudi Arabia in 1997 and was later included in the federal transport pool. The report clarified that Nawaz purchased the car from the federal transport pool in 2008, not from the Toshakhana.

The NAB urged the accountability court to acquit or discharge Nawaz Sharif from the reference, emphasizing that the vehicle was not part of the Toshakhana valuables when he bought it. This development comes after months of legal proceedings and warrants issued against the former premier in connection with the case.

The NAB's decision to clear Nawaz Sharif in the Toshakhana vehicle reference marks a significant development in the ongoing legal saga surrounding the case. With the clarification provided by the NAB regarding the purchase of the vehicle, the court is now expected to proceed accordingly in light of this new information.