ISLAMABAD: An accountability court will indict sacked premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (r) Safdar today (Friday).
While these three will be indicted, Sharif brothers Hasan and Hussain Nawaz will be summoned once again, as their warrants have been affixed on the walls of the NAB court.
Previously, the judge had allowed a day’s immunity to the Sharif family and summoned them on October 13. It was announced that the indictment would be heard on the day. The judge had expressed his fury over the absence of the members of the Sharif family. The court had decided to separate cases of each member in order to differentiate between present and absent suspects.
On the other hand, Hasan Nawaz confirmed that his father would not return to Pakistan at the moment in the light of Kulsoom Nawaz’s chemotherapy and medical treatment. Talking to a private TV channel, he said that his sister Maryam Nawaz would be traveling to Islamabad to appear before the court.
Nawaz Sharif, Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz are nominated suspects in references regarding Park Lane apartments, Al Azizia Steel Mills and offshore companies, while Maryam Nawaz and her husband Capt (r) Safdar are nominated in reference regarding Park Lane apartments alone.
According to the affixed warrants for Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz outside the court, they will be declared fugitives if they did not appear before the accountability court within a month.
The advertisement posted on the Notice Board of Accountability Court here also says that process to confiscate the properties of Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz would also be initiated if they failed to appear before the court within 30 days.
Meanwhile, Capt (r) Safdar on Thursday approached the Islamabad High Court against his and his wife Maryam Nawaz’s scheduled indictment in a graft reference.
Safdar through his counsel filed a petition in the high court, requesting it to restrain a trial court from indicting him and his wife today.
After preliminary hearing, a bench of the IHC disposed of the petition for being non-maintainable. It allowed the trial court to frame charges against the petitioner and his wife.
Safdar submitted in the petition that the accountability court was scheduled to indict him, his father-in-law Nawaz Sharif, and wife Maryam Nawaz on Friday in a graft reference pertaining to the Sharif family’s London flats.
He stated that he and Maryam wanted to travel to London to see his mother-in-law Kulsoom Nawaz undergoing treatment for cancer. Thus, he said, the trial court should be directed to postpone their indictment.
The petitioner argued that the framing of charges against them on October 13 was illegal and unconstitutional since they had not been given the minimum seven days to peruse the reference and relevant material.
He, thus, requested the court to restrain the trial court from framing charges against him and other members of his family.
Published in Daily Times, October 13th 2017.
