Opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz filed on Tuesday a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking bail in an assets beyond means and money laundering cases.

In his petition, filed through his lawyer Amjad Pervez, the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) leader said that the reference against him was filed 14 months after the arrest and he was indicted after 16 months. The application said that he has been incarcerated for 19 months.

Keeping an accused in detention for a longer period is akin to awarding his sentence even before the trial, Shehbaz said in his plea, ARY reported. He requested the LHC to order his bail.

Last month, the PML-N leader had approached the Supreme Court seeking his bail. However, he later withdrew his petition after which the SC dismissed the case. The PML-N leader had approached the top court in April 2020, two months after the LHC denied him bail in the money laundering case but granted it in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.