Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will be hearing a plea filed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif seeking bail on medical grounds on Tuesday (today).

The petition will be heard by a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa.

Sharif had twice submitted requests to the apex court for an early hearing of his application.

Special security arrangements have been made to avoid any untoward incident on the occasion. “For proper court decorum and smooth functioning, special security measures have been taken to beef up the security in the premises of Supreme Court,” a press statement issued by the apex court read. “In view of the limited seating capacity in the Court Room No 1, the entry will be regulated through special security passes. Only the petitioners/respondents whose cases are fixed in court will be allowed to enter in Supreme Court premises. However, advocates and journalists who regularly come for Supreme Court proceedings will be exempted from passes,” it continued. “Entry into court building will be allowed after checking/frisking and searching of bags/purses, etc. No cell phone is allowed to be carried inside the courtroom,” it added.

Nawaz Sharif is serving a seven-year jail term awarded to him in the Al-Azizia corruption case at the Kot Lakhpat jail. In recent days, family members and PML-N leaders have raised concerns about his reportedly deteriorating health and the treatment options available to him.

The PML-N supremo had last week approached the apex court for a second time seeking an early hearing of his petition against the February 25 order of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), which had dismissed his bail petition on medical grounds in the Al-Azizia case. The former prime minister’s counsel, Khawaja Haris, had filed the fresh petition a week after the top court’s registrar office had rejected the initial plea for early hearing of the appeal.