ISLAMABAD: An accountability on Monday granted bail to the ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt (r) Safdar in a corruption reference filed against them by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in compliance with the Supreme Court’s orders in the Panama Papers case. After hearing arguments of National Accountability Bureau’s prosecution team led by Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbas, judge Muhammad Bashir granted bail to Maryam and her spouse Safdar, directing them to furnish surety bonds of Rs 1 million each. While granting bail, the court also directed Maryam to furnish Rs 5 million surety bonds to ensure her presence on the next hearing, which were furnished by the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, who was present in the court. The court directed Capt (r) Safdar, who was produced by the NAB officials in custody, to also furnish Rs 5 million surety bonds to ensure his presence on next hearing. When he furnished the surety bonds, the court directed the NAB officials to release him. The court also provided a copy of the graft reference – reportedly spread over 53 volumes – along with other necessary details to Maryam and her spouse. The court directed Safdar not to leave the country without prior permission. During the hearing, Nawaz Sharif’s senior counsel Khawaja Haris told the court that his client could not join the proceedings as he had proceeded to London a few days earlier on emergency basis after the health condition of his wife Kulsoom, who is under treatment in a medical facility in London, worsened. He requested the court to entertain his written request and grant exemption to his client from personal appearance besides adjourning the hearing for at least two weeks. He also submitted in the court the medical treatment record of Kulsoom. He stated that his client had no intention to skip the court’s proceedings, which is evident from the fact that he had already appeared before the court twice. The NAB prosecutor, however, objected to the Haris’ request and pleaded the court to issue arrest warrants for the appearance of the accused before the court. He stated that Sharif left for London without informing the court as well as NAB authorities, despite being the main accused. After hearing Kh Haris and NAB’s prosecutor, the court exempted Nawaz Sharif from personal appearance before it only for Monday’s hearing, rejecting the pending request for permanent exemption from personal appearance before the court. While, entertaining the prosecutor’s request, the court declared Nawaz Sharif’s sons Hassan and Hussain Nawaz as proclaimed offenders for repeatedly ignoring and failing to appear before it and issued their perpetual arrest warrants under Section 87 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which deals with the attachment of property of proclaimed persons, besides separating their trial from other members of the Sharif family. During the course of the hearing, the court also recorded the statements of three investigation officers of the NAB, who testified that Hassan and Hussain Nawaz left the country in a bid to avoid the court’s proceedings, thus were not appearing deliberately. Later, the court fixed October 13 to indict members of the Sharif family and adjourned further hearing. Federal Ministers Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Daniyal Aziz, Talal Chaudhry, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Saira Afzal Tarar, Anusha Rehman and Senator Asif Kirmani, MNA Maiza Hameed, Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Ansar Aziz and other senior officials of the ruling league were present in the court. Talking to media after adjournment of the hearing, Maryam said her brothers will decide on their own whether they wanted to appear before the court, adding that they lived abroad and Pakistan’s laws did not apply to them. She said she knew very well what was her ‘crime’. She said those who come from abroad to appear before the court are arrested form the airport, whereas those declared absconders by the courts are wandering free and holding rallies. She said despite serious reservations, they were appearing before the courts out of respect for the rule of law. She said the verdict which disqualified his father was ‘pre-decided and pre-written’. She said her father and other family member were being victimised. Published in Daily Times, October 10th 2017.