The National Accountability Bureau wants to arrest Hamza Shehbaz for money laundering and unexplained wealth Shehbaz is the son of opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif and nephew of ousted PM Nawaz Sharif LAHORE: A Pakistani court has blocked the arrest of a high-profile graft suspect by granting him protective bail, following an attempted house raid by the country’s anti-corruption watchdog to take him into custody. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has an arrest warrant for Hamza Shehbaz, who is the son of opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif and nephew of ousted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. It wants to arrest Shehbaz in cases related to money laundering and possession of assets beyond his means. Its officials reached the Sharif family home in Lahore on Saturday at around 11 a.m., but they were stopped from entering by guards and political loyalists. Chaudhry Asghar, a deputy NAB director who led the raid team, told reporters the body planned to arrest him “without fail today” but a little after 4 p.m., Shehbaz’s lawyer received notice of the protective bail. NAB officials had tried to carry out a raid on Friday but failed to arrest Shehbaz, clashing with guards and party loyalists who were present at the scene. The bureau said it had arrest warrants for Shehbaz, who is a legislator in Punjab’s provincial assembly, and the Supreme Court had made it clear that the anti-graft body did not need to inform suspects prior to their arrests. Shehbaz, speaking to the media after the thwarted house raid, said NAB officials had come without warrants and violated the sanctity of his home. “I have a court order saying that I will be informed 10 days prior to arrest. For the first time, I felt like we are terrorists, the way the raid was conducted.” He said he had always cooperated with the NAB and appeared before the body whenever summoned. “What was the need for this step?” Shehbaz added. “I am not afraid of arrest but the NAB used unlawful tactics because the government asked it to.” Shahbaz Gill, a spokesman for the Punjab government, said the NAB was an autonomous institution and did not require the state’s permission to carry out any action. The NAB has summoned Shehbaz Sharif and his two sons to file their replies on the graft cases on April 9. Sharif was arrested last October in a longstanding corruption case, nine days before crucial by-elections were due to be held. His brother Nawaz was sentenced last July to 10 years in prison by a NAB court after the Supreme Court removed him from power. Nawaz Sharif has denounced corruption cases against him and his party’s leaders as politically motivated. Both brothers deny any wrongdoing.