LAHORE, Pakistan, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif was arrested here on Friday afternoon by the country's anti-graft body in an alleged corruption case, an official statement said.

According to a statement issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Shahbaz, opposition leader in the National Assembly or the lower house of the parliament, was detained for the alleged misappropriations in Ashiana Housing Scheme in Lahore during his tenure as chief minister of Punjab province from 2013 to 2018.

The NAB started probe after the housing scheme for poor people failed due to alleged corruption.

The NAB said Shahbaz, the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and president of the opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, will be presented before the accountability court on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Shahbaz appeared before the NAB authorities to record his statement in the case, but he was detained after he failed to answer to the questions, local media said.

The accountability watchdog had alleged that Shahbaz had misused his authority during his tenure as Punjab's chief minister and was involved in corruption.

The NAB has arrested several close aids of Shahbaz in connection with the corruption scandal.