Islamabad (Web Desk): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday issued a notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s pleas seeking protective bail in Al-Azizia and Avenfiled references.
Earlier today, the protective bail petitions were filed in the IHC by Nawaz 's legal team to restrain the authorities from arresting him when he returns back to Pakistan on October 21.
A two-member IHC bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb took up the petitions for hearing.
Nawaz Sharif's lawyer Amjad Pervez told the court that his client was seeking protective bail.
Referring to previous judgements, the lawyer said that in the past, absconders were granted protective bail in order to surrender before the court.
He said that court provides an opportunity whenever someone wants to surrender before it, the lawyer maintained the stance that the PML-N supremo had not taken undue advantage of his bail.
Amjad argued that the court had also granted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan protective bail earlier.
The lawyer added that Nawaz’s conviction was handed down when he was not in the country.
At one point during the hearing, the NAB prosecutor said that the bureau did not have any objections if Nawaz wanted to come back.
At this, Justice Aurangzeb said, “You have no objection to granting protective bail. Tomorrow you will say that the judgement should be struck down. Then you should also ask the NAB chairman and let us decide the appeal today.”
However, the NAB prosecutor said that the anti-graft body would give its arguments when the appeal would be fixed before the court.
Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing till Thursday (October 19).
Nawaz Sharif was convicted in the Al-Azizia Mills and Avenfield corruption cases in 2018. He served a seven-year imprisonment at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail in the Al-Azizia Mills case before he was allowed to go to London in November 2019 on “medical grounds.”
In February 2020, the then PTI-led government had declared Nawaz Sharif an absconder, and later in the same year, an accountability court had declared him a proclaimed offender in the Toshakhana vehicles reference.
