Daily Times

The Islamabad High Court on Thursday ordered the foreign secretary to ensure appearance of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif before the court on September 22.

The IHC assistant registrar in a letter told the foreign secretary to ’cause the production of the appellant (Nawaz) through the High Commission of Pakistan in the United Kingdom by 11 am on September 22′, adding that the court had on September 15 issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Nawaz Sharif in reply to the former prime minister’s application seeking exemption from personal appearance in hearing of appeals in the Al Azizia and Avenfield properties references. A copy of the order issued on Tuesday was also attached with the letter. Nawaz will also have to appear on any other dates that might be fixed by the court, it added.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for September 22 and initiated proceedings to declare him an absconder. The IHC had also rejected Nawaz’s request to further the proceedings without him surrendering, a private TV channel reported.

A special two-member bench headed by Justice Amir Farooq had heard appeals against Nawaz’s conviction in Avenfield and Al-Azizia references. The court had observed that despite orders from the IHC, former premier did not return to Pakistan on Tuesday and surrender before the court in Al-Azizia reference.

National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) appeals in Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references and petition regarding cancellation of bail in Avenfield reference were heard. During the proceedings, Justice Farooq had remarked that NAB’s application for cancellation of Nawaz’s bail was being put on hold for now. “First we will listen to Khawaja Harris’s [ Nawaz’s lawyer] arguments then we will listen to NAB’s application,” the judge had said. “We have to decide whether we can hear Nawaz Sharif’s appeal or not.”

Referring to former president Pervez Musharraf’s case, counsel Harris had said that in the case related to the investigation into the former’s assets, his lawyer was allowed to appear before the court. “Therefore, in exceptional circumstances, the accused’s lawyer can be allowed to appear instead of the accused himself,” Harris had argued. “In a high-treason case, the special court had declared General Pervez Musharraf an absconder. Despite it, the Supreme Court heard his lawyer.” He had argued that that the trial cannot be stopped on the basis of non-appearance of the accused. “The court could appoint a public prosecutor for the accused and proceed with the trial. As of now, Nawaz Sharif cannot appear before the court,” Sharif’s counsel had stated.

Last week, an accountability court had declared Nawaz a proclaimed offender in the Toshakhana vehicles reference and initiated the process to confiscate his properties and directed the NAB to make his arrest through Interpol.

While separating Nawaz’s case, Judge Azam Khan of the accountability court of Islamabad had also indicted former president Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani and other accused persons in the Toshakhana reference.

Nawaz had left for London in November 2019 after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to go abroad for medical treatment. He had submitted an undertaking to the court, citing his record of facing the law and justice, and that he would return within four weeks or as soon as he was declared healthy and fit to travel by doctors. He was also given bail in the Al Azizia Mills corruption case in which he was serving a seven-year prison sentence in Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore, before he left for London.