Pakistani opposition leader Maryam Nawaz was arrested on August 8 by the country's anti-corruption National Accountability Bureau (NAB), officials and a spokeswoman for her party said.
Nawaz, who is vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) party, was detained while she was visiting her father, PML-N founder and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in the northeastern city of Lahore, DawnNewsTV reported quoting NAB officials.
“Maryam Nawaz has been arrested,” Marriyum Aurangzeb, a PML-N spokeswoman confirmed. “NAB arrested her from Lahore and we haven’t been given any reason or grounds for her arrest."
It is unclear on what charges Nawaz was detained. She has led several anti-government protests in recent days.
NAB officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Nawaz is a suspect in a case regarding "dubious" business transactions at a sugar factory -- Chaudry Sugar Mills -- where she was one of the major shareholders.
Sharif is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence on corruption charges. His successor at the PML-N helm, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, has also been arrested on corruption charges. He denies wrongdoing.
The arrests have angered the opposition, who says the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan has manipulated the justice system to get rid of its adversaries.
Earlier this month, PML-N officials came up with what they said was video evidence that the judge responsible for sentencing Sharif had been blackmailed into convicting the ex-premier.
The judge, who said the PML-N had also attempted to blackmail him, has since been fired from the court that decided the Nawaz case.
Pakistani Opposition Leader Maryam Nawaz Detained
Editors' Picks
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
Kabul On Course To Be World's First Capital To Run Out Of Water
2Hundreds Of Thousands Of Afghans Forced To Leave Iran Amid Crackdown, UN Says
3Iran-Israel Conflict Puts Pakistan's Diplomatic Balancing Act To The Test
4Taliban's Closure Of Women's Shelters Leaves Afghan Women Vulnerable To Abuse
5A Star Gone Missing: Afghan Singer Vanishes In Country Where Music Is Forbidden
6US Court Temporarily Halts Bid To End Protection Status For Afghans
7Suicide Bombing Kills 13 Soldiers In Northwestern Pakistan
8An Afghan Singer, Once Propelled To Fame On TV Show, Goes Missing In Kabul
9Masses Of Afghans Being Deported From Pakistan Face Angst And Uncertainty
10Discord In Pakistan: Afghan Musicians Who Fled The Taliban Fear Deportation
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
