Nawaz's sons may not appear before court

Information minister says Hussain, Hassan subjected to law that applies on those doing business abroad

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has dropped hint that Hussain and Hassan Nawaz, sons of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, may not appear before the accountability court, taking advantage of their foreign residency.

The accountability court is trying the brothers along with their father Nawaz Sharif, sister Maryam and brother-in-law Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar, in corruption references filed against them by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the Supreme Court’s instructions.



Talking to reporters after a hearing on Monday, Maryam Nawaz said that her brothers would make their own decision regarding their appearance before the court. However, she added that since both of them reside abroad, therefore, the local laws did not apply on them.

Marriyam Aurangzeb, the Minister of State for Information, later told reporters that Hussain and Hassan were both foreign residents and the law that applies on those doing business abroad also applied on the two.

Hussain and Hassan have not appeared before the court on any hearing since the trial began last month. On the previous hearing the court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants against them yet they skipped the hearing on Monday.

Now, the court had declared them absconders and decided to separate their trial from the rest of their family members – Sharif, Maryam and Safdar. Accountability judge Muhammad Bashir granted bail to Maryam and Safdar and also exempted Sharif from Monday’s hearing.



Aurangzeb said that despite one-and-half-year trial over the Panamagate, nothing concrete was found against the former prime minister. “When they couldn’t find any evidence, they disqualified him on the Iqama (work permit) issue,” she contended.

Though the former prime minister had reservations over the entire process, the state minister said, they appeared before the courts to show respect for the Constitution and law.