Arrest warrant against Nawaz Sharif in corruption case

Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Thursday issued bailable warrants against deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after he failed to appear before the court in connection with three corruption references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The accountability court, conducting trial of Mr Sharif family in connection with the three NAB references, dismissed the ousted premier’s application seeking exemption from personal appearance and put a surety giver on notice for November 3.

Judge accountability court Muhammad Bashir while dismissing the application issued warrants for Mr Sharif in two references and issued notice to a surety giver in the third reference as he remarked that the application could only be treated as adjournment plea.

In the application, Nawaz Sharif through his counsel Khawaja Haris said that he had not been able to return to Pakistan because his wife’s medical condition had deteriorated.

Notwithstanding the precarious condition of his wife, the counsel said, Nawaz Sharif left London on October 23 to appear before the court on October 26 after a brief stop-over in Saudi Arabia in order to perform Umrah with his mother and pray for the speedy recovery and health of his wife.

Nawaz Sharif was all set to leave for Pakistan from Saudi Arabia when he came to know that his wife was being admitted to the hospital on emergency basis, Mr Haris said, adding that she was to be administered, inter alia, blood transfusion and needed his full support and presence for at least a few days after the process.

In these circumstances, Mr Haris said: “The applicant has been constrained to stay back to perform Umrah (mini-pilgrimage) in the name of his ailing wife and pray for her recovery before leaving Saudi Arabia to London, United Kingdom, to be with his wife at this critical stage of her treatment.”

In the absence of the applicant, Zaafir Khan Tareen had undertaken to appear on applicant’s behalf on October 26, the counsel said while praying the court to grant exemption from personal appearance to the applicant for further period of 15 days, commencing from October 26.

He informed the court that Mr Tareen would represent Nawaz Sharif as his pleader during the period of exemption from personal appearance.

Meanwhile, NAB’s Additional Deputy Prosecutor General, Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, opposed the application saying that the court had earlier granted exemption which expired on October 24 and Mr Tareen can no longer represent Nawaz Sharif as a pleader.

Mr Abbasi added that evidence has to be recorded in the presence of the accused. He termed the move mala fide and requested the court to dismiss the application. Giving “last chance” to Nawaz Sharif for making an appearance, Judge Bashir dismissed the exemption application. Subsequently, he issued bailable warrants in two references and notice to the surety in another reference.