Lahore (Staff Report/Agencies): An accountability court on Tuesday in Lahore accepted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son, Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz’s pleas seeking one-time exemption from court appearance in separate references.
As per details, Shehbaz Sharif was to appear for the hearing of the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme case, while Hamza Shehbaz was to appear to court for the hearing of the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.
Shehbaz, in his application filed before the court on Tuesday, stated that he was the prime minister and “preoccupied in Islamabad in connection with various matters” because of which he could not appear before the court today.
Hamza, in a separate application, stated that as chief minister of Punjab, he was “preoccupied with various important matters of urgent nature and public welfare”.
“It is for the reason of preoccupation in discharge of constitutional obligations that [I] am unable to appear before this honourable court today,” he added.
Both the applications stated, “The non-appearance of the petitioner is neither deliberate nor intentional ... no prejudice shall occur to the case of the prosecution nor proceedings before this honourable court shall be hampered on account of absence of the petitioner in person.”
Shehbaz and Hamza nominated Mohammad Nawaz Chaudhry and Mudassar Abdul Majeed, respectively, to represent them.
