Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif requested Islamabad High Court on Wednesday for a protective bail in Avenfield properties and Al-Azizia references.
Sharif’s senior lawyer Amjad Pervaiz filed for the petitions, however, the Islamabad HC has deferred the hearing till tomorrow and issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and concerned parties in the case.
In his application, Sharif has appealed for a protective bail for surrendering before the law.
Sharif, who has been given 10 years in jail by the accountability court along with a fine of £8 million in Avenfield case and seven years’ sentence in Al-Azizia reference, said he intends to face the cases against him so the authorities should be barred from arresting him. The court had also disqualified Sharif for holding any public office for 10 years.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) sources had earlier said the petitions will be filed in the light of the Islamabad High Court’s decision.
According to sources, the application says Sharif will land in Islamabad on a special flight on October 21, asking for a protective bail to reach court.
A division bench of the Islamabad High Court had earlier heard Sharif’s appeals against the sentences.
The court dismissed his appeals on June 23, 2021 for failing to appear due to his prolonged stay in London.
On September 29 last year, the Islamabad High Court had acquitted his daughter Maryam Nawaz and Captain Safdar in a corruption case. It also cancelled the sentence awarded by an accountability court in the Avenfield reference.
The verdict stated that the sentencing of Maryam Nawaz and Safdar was “unfair”, and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) failed to prove the case.
Sources close to Sharif said after Maryam and Safdar’s acquittal, the former PM was also released and filing a petition is just a formality.
News18 was first to break the news of Sharif’s returning to Pakistan.
Comments
0 comment