Daily Times

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s legal team Saturday met him at the Adiala Jail and discussed filing of an appeal against the verdict announced by the accountability court in the Avenfield reference.

The legal team led by Saad Hashmi was reportedly allowed to meet the former prime minister for five minutes only. Nawaz signed the power of attorney so that an appeal could be filed in the Islamabad High Court against the verdict.

Separately, Nawaz Sharif’s mother Shamim Akhtar, former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif and 10 other family members met the former prime minister, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt (r) Safdar at Adiala Jail.

The Sharif family had landed at the Noor Khan Airbase in the garrison city of Rawalpindi in a special aircraft. The meeting, which took place in the jail superintendent’s room, lasted for an hour and 20 minutes. The other members of the family included Hamza Shehbaz, Salman Shehbaz, Sharif’s granddaughter Mehrunissa as well as her husband Raheel Muneer.

Several PML-N activists and supporters gathered outside the jail and chanted slogans in favour of Nawaz Sharif.

During the meeting with his lawyers, Nawaz reportedly complained about the lack of facilities in the room he is being kept in. The former prime minister stated that there was only mattress and a fan available in the room. He complained that there was no air-conditioner and that the washroom was in despicable condition.

In a letter released by her social media team, Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam said she declined better facilities at the Adiala Jail. The letter posted on social media stated that Maryam had been asked to submit an application to the jail superintendent for better facilities. In the letter, Maryam writes that she did not make the decision under anyone’s pressure.

Meanwhile, a sub-committee of the cabinet held a meeting on the matter pertaining to placing Nawaz and Maryam’s names on the exit control list (ECL). Caretaker Interior Minister Azam Khan chaired the meeting. The sub-committee has forwarded the request to put Nawaz and Maryam on the ECL to caretaker Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk. “Cabinet will approve the request during its next sitting,” Khan said.

The trial of two remaining NAB references against the Sharif family will take place in Adiala Jail, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice late Friday.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Sub-section (b) of Section 16 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 (XVIII of 1999), the federal government is pleased to specify the Central Jail Adiala, Rawalpindi, to be the place where the Accountability Court-I, Islamabad, shall sit for trial of References No 18/2017 and 19/2017 against Nawaz Sharif and others,” the notification read.

The remaining cases pertain to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment, and offshore companies including Flagship Investment Limited.

Published in Daily Times, July 15^th 2018.