Earlier, Shahbaz Sharif stated that despite a severe backache he appeared before the court as obeying the court's orders was his duty. The PML-N president said he faced no allegation of corruption and the allegation of misuse of authority against him was also baseless. He defended the cancellation of the first contract of the housing scheme awarded to Latif & Sons saying the company had deposited fake bank guarantee. "I can say on oath that the case against me is totally baseless," claimed Shahbaz Sharif.
The defence counsel argued that the NAB had not included testimonies of Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) Chief Engineer Arif Majeed Butt, LDA Chief Engineer Israr Saeed and others in its reference. He also complained that the NAB had not provided them with complete copies of the reference.
The counsel said that charges could not be framed under these circumstances as it would be against the requisites of fair trial. A NAB prosecutor argued that the defence counsel was trying to delay the proceedings as all the material available with the investigators had been included in the reference.
During the course of arguments, the defence counsel and the prosecutor also exchanged harsh words. Strict security arrangements had been taken outside the judicial complex and police blocked nearby roads by placing containers and barbed wires.