Nawaz sons' arrest warrants temporarily lifted

Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz to return to Pakistan on March 12

ISLAMABAD:

 A trial court suspended the permanent arrest warrants issued for Hassan and Hussain, the sons of former prime minister and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, until March 14.

Islamabad Accountability Court-I Judge Nasir Javed Rana issued this order on Thursday while hearing petitions filed by the brothers through Advocate Qazi Misbah.

Hassan and Hussain were named as accused along with Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam, and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar in the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Avenfield case reference.
The accountability court had ordered Hassan and Hussain to appear in court multiple times during the trial. Later, it declared them proclaimed offenders and issued their permanent arrest warrants due to their non-appearance.

The court convicted Nawaz, Maryam, and Safdar in July 2017. Interestingly, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) later acquitted them in the case.

Also read: Avenfield verdict: Hussain and Hassan declared absconders

Advocate Misbah argued during the hearing that while permanent arrest warrants for Hassan and Hussain were still in effect, the other accused in the case had been acquitted.
“Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz want to return to Pakistan on March 12 and appear in court. The execution of the permanent warrants should be delayed,” he stated.

NAB prosecutor Sohail Arif contended that according to the law, arrest warrants are suspended only when the accused appears in court, emphasizing that such warrants cannot be suspended without appearance.

“The purpose of the warrant is to bring the accused to court. However, if Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz want to appear in court, they should be given the opportunity,” he added. The accountability court then decided to suspend the permanent warrants for Hassan and Hussain until March 14.