Daily Times

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain (r) Safdar are likely to file an appeal against verdict in the Avenfield corruption reference at the Islamabad High Court today.

An accountability court had sentenced Nawaz Sharif to a total of 11 years in prison besides a fine of £8 million in the corruption reference, while his daughter Maryam was sentenced to eight years with a £2 million fine. Nawaz’s son-in-law Capt (r) Safdar was given a one-year sentence without any fine.

Nawaz and Maryam landed in Pakistan on Friday evening and were shifted to Adiala Jail after being arrested at the Lahore airport. Capt (r) Safdar is already in jail since July 9.

The Sharif family’s appeal that highlights ‘legal flaws’ in the Avenfield judgement asks for the accountability court’s verdict to be declared null and void. It pleads for sentence to be suspended till a decision on the appeal is reached.

Meanwhile, PML-N leader and former CADD minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry was not allowed to meet his party supremo Nawaz Sharif in Adiala Jail on Sunday.

Chaudhry visited the jail and requested for a meeting with the PML-N chief. However, the jail authorities rejected his plea, saying it was Sunday and that he can’t be allowed to meet Nawaz Sharif.

Earlier in the day, Hussain Nawaz, son of Nawaz Sharif, said his father has been denied even ‘basic rights’ in Adiala Jail. “I am told that my father was not given a bed to sleep on and the bathroom was extremely dirty, probably not cleaned for ages,” he tweeted. “There’s no precedence of treating people’s representatives with dignity in this country but these are basic rights withdrawal of which constitutes torture,” he added.

Published in Daily Times, July 16^th 2018.