Fawad hails dismissal of Nawaz’s appeals

Info minister hopes justice will be ensured in Maryam’s case

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday said the dismissal of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s appeals by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the latter’s convictions in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references was a “victory” of the people and PTI’s stance.

“From the very beginning, it was our [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] stance that Nawaz’s family should return the money they had looted from the people of Pakistan,” he said in a video message released after the IHC’s verdict.

It was a victory of “justice” as Nawaz, who was declared an absconder, had yet to pay the fine imposed on him by an Accountability Court of Islamabad, he added.

The minister expressed hope that justice would be ensured in case of the appeal of PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, who was in the country.

“The nation wants justice done to the former rulers, who should be behind bars,” Fawad said.

Read Fawad asks Nawaz to return ‘looted wealth’

Giving details of cases against the Sharif family, he said the accountability court had sentenced Nawaz to 10 years in prison, along with seven years and one-year imprisonment to his daughter (Maryam) and son-in-law Captain (Retd) Safdar respectively in the case of four Avenfield Apartments (Mayfair, London).

“Nawaz with his two sons – Hassan and Hussain – were at large in the case,” he added.

Fawad said the PML-N leader was even today residing in the Avenfield Apartments, about which the nation came to know after the Panama Papers scandal had surfaced in 2016.

He recalled the famous statement of Maryam, in which she had denied having any property in London, as well as, in Pakistan.

The minister said the PML-N supremo was disqualified by the apex court in 2017 and later the (Avenfield Apartments) case was heard by the accountability court for nine months.

The court, eventually, sentenced him and his family members after evaluating all the relevant pieces of evidence, he added.

He said the court had declared that the PML-N leader owned the properties abroad, while terming an affidavit submitted by Maryam “fake”.