Warrants out as Sharif skips court hearing

Bailable warrants issued in two references, notice issued to surety-giver in third

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Thursday issued bailable arrest warrants against deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif after he failed to appear before the court in connection with three references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

While issuing the warrants, Judge Muhammad Bashir dismissed Sharif’s application for exemption from personal appearance. The judge issued warrants in two references against Sharif, while in the third reference, he issued notice to a surety giver.

Sharif, in the application, filed through his counsel Khawaja Haris, pleaded that he had not been able to return to Pakistan, because of deterioration of the condition of his wife Kulsoom Nawaz.

The counsel said despite the precarious condition of his wife, Sharif left London on October 23 to appear before the court on October 26. He had a brief stop-over in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah with his mother and pray for the speedy recovery of his wife.



However, Haris added, Sharif was about to leave for Pakistan from Saudi Arabia when he came to know that his wife was being hospitalised in emergency. In these circumstances, the counsel continued: “The Applicant has been constrained to stay back to perform Umrah in the name of his ailing wife and pray for her recovery before leaving Saudi Arabia for London, United Kingdom, to be with his wife at this critical stage of her treatment.”

Requesting the court to exempt Sharif from personal appearance for 15 days, the counsel said that Zaafir Khan Tareen, who represented Sharif as his pleader on the previous hearing, would appear in the court during the exemption period.

NAB’s Additional Deputy Prosecutor General, Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, opposed the application saying that the court had earlier granted exemption to Sharif until October 24 and that Tareen could no longer represent him.



Abbasi termed the defence move mala fide and requested the court to dismiss the application. He argued that evidences would have to be recorded in the presence of the accused.

During arguments, Afzal Qureshi, another NAB prosecutor, drew the court’s ire when he said that the accused [Sharif] was taking court’s orders very easy. The judge admonished him, saying: “Don’t give your comments. You are not addressing a gathering here.”

Judge Bashir remarked: “Just give your submissions and raise only legal points. Your weapons are books, law journals and PLDs [the All Pakistan Legal Decisions]. Use them,” adding that “a judge is always neutral”.

While giving the “last chance” to Sharif to appear in the court, Judge Bashir dismissed the exemption application and issued bailable warrants against him in two references and notice to the surety-giver in another reference.



On Thursday, the court was expected to record evidence of two prosecution witnesses -- Sidra Mansoor and Jahangir Ahmad. They are now expected to record their statements on the next date of hearing on November 3.

During the hearing, Abbasi informed the court the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued notice to NAB for November 2 on three petitions of Sharif in which he had requested the court to set aside his indictment in three references.

He said Sharif’s petition also requested the court to issue directions to the accountability court to frame a joint charge and conduct a single trial against the Sharif family and to suspend accountability court proceedings until the framing of joint charge. The court subsequently decided to take up the references on November 3.



The accountability court has indicted Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retired) Muhammad Safdar in Avenfield Apartments reference. Sharif is also indicted in two separate references pertaining to the Azizia Steel Company and the Hill Metal Company and the Flagship Investment and other companies.

The indictments came after the court separated the trial of Sharif’s sons, Hussain and Hassan Nawaz, after they failed to appear before the court despite repeated orders. The court had declared Sharif’s sons – who were nominated by NAB as accused in all the three references – as absconders.

NAB has filed references against Sharif, Maryam, Hussain, Hassan, and Safdar relating to the Avenfield Properties comprising flat No 16 and 16-A, 17 and 17-A Avenfield House at Park Lane area of London.

The Azizia Steel Company and Hill Metal Company and the Flagship Investment and other companies references are only against the three times former prime minister and his sons.