ISLAMABAD, July 18 (Xinhua) -- A team of Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday arrested former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party's senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi over a corruption case, local media reported.

The former prime minister was arrested in connection with alleged corruption in the award of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contract to a company in which he was a shareholder himself during his tenure.

A PML-N spokesperson confirmed the arrest, saying that Abbasi was travelling to eastern Lahore city from Islamabad to attend a news conference when he was arrested.

Abbasi was scheduled to appear before NAB on Thursday morning in the LNG case, but skipped it, said local news channels, adding that he was arrested over his lack of cooperation in the corruption case against him.