Court exempts Shehbaz from appearance in NAB reference.

LAHORE -- An accountability court on Monday granted permanent exemption to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from personal appearance in the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference after he along with his counsel appeared before it.

The premier, while requesting Judge Sajid Ali Awan to allow his application for the exemption, said he had never sought such exemption unnecessarily. 'Since Allah has given me the responsibility of serving the nation, I have to discharge my responsibilities,' he said, while undertaking to appear whenever the court required him.

About the reference, he said the National AccounAtability Bureau (NAB) had accused him of misusing public money as CM for the construction of a drain in Chiniot though it was built on the requisition of an MPA from the area only after cabinet's approval.

Mr Shehbaz also presented a booklet to the judge containing details of development projects executed in the province during his stint as chief minister. He also gave the booklet to a NAB prosecutor as the latter told the judge that he did not have the same.

The prosecutor, however, opposed his application, arguing that the applicant did not provide any concrete reason while there had been no progress in the trial proceedings of the reference.

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