Lahore (Web Desk): The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the deputy registrar (judicial) to return passport to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, which she had surrendered to the court in 2019 for getting bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
The development comes days after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) acquitted the PML-N leader in the Avenfield reference.
A three-member bench of the LHC headed by Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti and comprised Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh heard the case
Maryam had approached the LHC against the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) saying that the anti-graft body has not filed the reference of Chaudhry Sugar Mills for 4 years due to which she had not been able to exercise her fundamental rights for about four years.
During today's hearing, the LHC CJ asked Maryam's counsel Amjad Pervaiz whether this was the second plea Maryam had filed for the recovery of her passport.
The counsel confirmed to the court that this was the second plea, saying that proceedings on the first plea were also under way.
However, he added, the stance in both the pleas was different and told the court he wanted to withdraw the first plea.
Maryam's lawyer presented a broad outline of events pertaining to the case as he built his argument.
In the last hearing, the three-judge bench had sought reply from the respondents, while NAB had decided not to oppose Maryam’s plea for passport return.
Maryam Nawaz had surrendered her passport to the court when post-arrest bail was granted to her in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
