IHC grills NAB over Sharif family appeals
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ISLAMABAD: A two-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, has directed National Accountability Bureaue (NAB) Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi to conclude his arguments in the case by Monday.
NAB on Thursday sought two more days from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to present its arguments against the pleas filed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar seeking suspension of the verdict in the Avenfield properties reference.
However, as the hearing went under way, the NAB deputy prosecutor said, “I have been directed to ask for an adjournment of two days.”
When Justice Minallah questioned Abbasi from whom he will get directions, the deputy prosecutor general responded, that he will get directions from prosecutor general.
To this, Nawaz’s counsel, Khawaja Harris, protested and said, “The pleas were filed a month ago.”
Further, Justice Minallah remarked, “There needs to be a solid reason for adjournment. This is not right.”
Maryam and Capt (retd) Safdar’s counsel, Amjad Pervez, said, “Private parties seek more time but for an institution to do this is beyond my understanding.”
The two-member bench then told the NAB deputy prosecutor general to submit his initial reservations.
“Consult each other and adopt one stance, we are considering penalizing you for wasting the court’s time,” he added.
Abbasi then assured the bench that he will conclude his arguments on Monday.
As Justice Minallah decided to give NAB a last chance to present its arguments on Monday, Advocate Pervez raised the point that the NAB prosecutor general be summoned so he can present their stance.
However, Abbasi said he is busy with another case in Lahore and will not be able to appear before the bench. To this, Justice Aurangzeb remarked, “In 18 years of legal practice, I have never before come across such a reason to seek adjournment.”
Abbasi had sought time to provide paragraph-wise comments in line with the request of Nawaz’s counsel.
However, Justice Minallah had remarked, “We cannot adjourn the hearing on these grounds.”
Nawaz, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar, were convicted by accountability judge Mohammad Bashir in Avenfield reference on July 6.
The Sharifs had challenged their convictions in the IHC, highlighting the legal flaws in the Avenfield case judgment and asking for the accountability court’s verdict to be declared null and void, and the three convicts be released on bail. - APP