ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz an exemption from personal appearance in the hearing of appeals in the Avenfield Apartment reference. An application filed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter through her lawyer Amjad Pervez was heard by a two-judge bench consisting of Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani. The lawyer stated that his client was too preoccupied with her party’s campaign for the upcoming election in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to appear in court. The court granted Maryam’s request and postponed the hearing until July 26. Captain retired Mohammad Safdar Awan and Maryam Nawaz Sharif had filed appeals against their convictions in the Avenfield Apartment case. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) separated Nawaz Sharif’s appeals from those of Maryam and Safdar and declared him a proclaimed offender for his incessant absence from the hearings. The Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir found Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Sharif, and Captain Safdar guilty in the Avenfield Apartment case and sentenced them to ten years in prison, seven years in prison, and one year in prison, respectively on July 6, 2018. Their sentences were later suspended by the court.