ISLAMABAD – In light of an accountability court in Islamabad granting PML-N leader Ishaq Dar a clean chit in an assets beyond means case, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has formally filed two separate applications seeking the restoration of his appeals against convictions in the Avenfield Apartments and Al-Azizia references.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) division bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, will consider these applications along with the petition for protective bail in these cases. Nawaz Sharif had been convicted in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references in 2018.
Read more:NAB Reopens Corruption Case, Summons Ishaq Dar for Inquiry
In his applications, the PML-N supreme leader explained that while he was abroad for medical treatment, the pending appeals were dismissed for non-prosecution. The applications aim to have the court reinstate the pending appeals and make a merit-based decision.
The applications emphasized that Nawaz Sharif had never taken advantage of the bail granted to him in these cases. They also cited that the former premier had traveled abroad with the court’s permission.
The plea further argued that Nawaz Sharif’s absence from the court was not intentional but due to medical reasons, as his treatment had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlighted his decision to return to Pakistan after witnessing the country’s deteriorating economic conditions and various challenges.
In the Avenfield apartments reference, accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir convicted Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar on July 6, 2018. The trial had been initiated following a Panama Papers investigation conducted by a joint investigation team. Afterward, Judge Arshad Malik convicted Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference but acquitted him in the Flagship Investment case in December of the same year. A leaked conversation had raised questions about Judge Arshad’s verdict, implying that he may have sentenced the PML-N leader under duress. Judge Arshad was subsequently removed from the accountability court and ultimately faced an inquiry, leading to his removal from service. He passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic on December 4, 2020.
In a separate development, the accountability court cleared former finance minister Ishaq Dar after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) conceded that it “lacked evidence to substantiate the allegations” of corruption. The court ruled that there was “no incriminating evidence” against Dar, and NAB informed the court that the probe could not find proof of the alleged corruption.
Dar’s counsel highlighted that the joint investigation team probing the Panama Papers case did not produce any evidence against him, and the investigation itself was “marred with flaws.” As a result, the court cleared Ishaq Dar and the co-accused, including the former president of the National Bank of Pakistan, Saeed Ahmed. This decision followed the court dropping the proceedings against Ishaq Dar on November 22, 2022, and returning the case file to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). It should be noted that on December 11, 2017, the court had declared Ishaq Dar a proclaimed offender and attached his movable and immovable properties, canceling his perpetual arrest warrant upon his surrender on October 10.
