Daily Times

Three separate petitions were moved to Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday challenging the dismissal by accountability court against auction of property owned by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in toshakhana reference.

The appeal stated that the accountability court had ignored the various facts in deciding the case. It prayed the court to turn down the decisions of the trial court dated October 1, 2020, April 2021 and June 2021 regarding the property auctions.

The petitions said that the decisions of the trial court might cause irreparable loss to national exchequer.

Earlier, an accountability court had dismissed the three petitions challenging the confiscation and auction of property owned by former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif in toshakhana corruption reference. The petitions were filed by citizens Ashraf Malik, Aslam Aziz and Mian Iqbal Barkat.

It may be mentioned here that petitioner Mian Iqbal Barkat adopted the stance that House No. 135 Upper Mall Lahore belonged to Ittefaq Group, which was jointly owned by Mian Muhammad Sharif, Mian Muhammad Shafi, Mian Mirajuddin, Mian Barkat Ali, Mian Abdul Aziz and Mian Idrees Bashir families. Petitioner Muhammad Ashraf stated he had already purchased 88 kanal land from Nawaz Sharif and had paid Rs 75 millions against it. He, however, said that the deed could not be implemented due to the arrest of the former prime minister. Aslam Aziz said that the district administration was confiscating 105 kanal land for auction. He said that he had invested a heavy amount on an agriculture project at the said land. There was a risk of wastage of his investment if the land was auctioned, he said.