Islamabad (Staff Report): Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz, reached the Accountability Court to attend the hearing regarding a corruption reference against her and other Sharif family members.
Judge of the Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir, provided Maryam a copy of the reference, spread over 53 volumes, to Maryam, and directed her to submit a surety bond of Rs5 million.
Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has submitted the surety bond of Rs5 million from Maryam Nawaz.
Nawaz did not attended today’s hearing as he is in London at the time tending to his wife who is undergoing medical treatment.
As the hearing began, Nawaz's counsel, Khawaja Harris, submitted Kulsoom's medical report in court and requested the court to grant his client an exemption from personal appearance in the court.
The NAB prosecutor objected to the plea and instead requested the court to issue warrants for Nawaz's appearance in court.
The court is likely to deliver its verdict on the exemption plea at 10:00am today.
State Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, CADD Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, IT Minister Anusha Rehman, Privatisation Minister Daniyal Aziz, Senator Asif Kirmani and other senior PML-N officials are present in court.
Strict security arrangements have been made, around 1,000 police and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel have been deployed for securing the judicial complex where the hearing will take place.
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials are also en route to the court along with Maryam's husband, MNA Capt (retd) Safdar, who was taken into custody last night.
NAB officials escort Safdar from the rear entrance of the NAB office in Islamabad Monday morning as PML-N workers had gathered outside the main gate of the office.
Earlier, late Sunday night, Maryam and her husband returned to Islamabad from London. Following their arrival, Safdar was arrested by NAB officials as the accountability court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants to ensure his presence in court.
In light of the Supreme Court's judgment in the Panama Papers case, three corruption references were filed, against the Sharif family and the Accountability Court is perusing the hearing of the case.