LAHORE  -  Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz has termed his father’s arrest by NAB a political victimisation, saying the PML-N president has been punished for saving billions of rupees of the nation.

Addressing women’s convention in NA-124, he claimed that Shehbaz Sharif saved Rs2,300 billion of Pakistan in different development projects during his 10-year tenure as Punjab chief minister.

PML-N candidate for NA-124 by-poll Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, MPA Mian Mujtaba Shuja, MNA Shaista Parvez Malk and others also spoke on occasion.

Shehbaz, he said, was called by NAB in Saaf Pani case but arrested in Aashiana Housing Scheme case. His father, he said, was given punishment for not awarding the contract of the housing project to a corrupt contractor.

Those who arrested Shehbaz must know that he will soon be back with honour, said Hamza.

Criticising Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said the PTI government had the rigged mandate and Khan was the fake PM. He said Nawaz Sharif lived in hearts of people as real prime minister of the country. Despite worst rigging in general elections, he said, the PML-N opted to go to assemblies to save the system. Imran Khan has now started threatening the PML-N and it will be resisted with full force, he said.

Hamza said the PTI government was victimising poor in the name of anti-encroachment operation. But the king of land grabbers mafia Aleem Khan, he claimed, was sitting in the Punjab cabinet. The Punjab chief minister, said Hamza, was an accused in a murder case and he secured his release after paying blood money. He said PML-N was not contesting against PTI in the by-poll but against those who rigged the elections.