Islamabad: Pakistan’s Islamabad high court (IHC) on Monday dismissed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s plea urging the merger of multiple corruption references against him by National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The accountability court had previously dismissed the petition, on the same matter, after which Nawaz Sharif filed an appeal at the IHC. The IHC division bench comprising of Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, on Monday, rejected Nawaz Sharif’s petition.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar reached the accountability court early Monday morning for the hearing of the case.
Speaking to the media outside the court, Nawaz Sharif reiterated his stance on the court’s bias against him. He gave a sarcastic reply when asked what he thinks of PTI chief Imran Khan’s case still pending in the Supreme Court. “It seems even in the Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen disqualification case, I will be the one disqualified,” he said.
NAB had filed three references on September 8 against the former premier and his family. Another NAB reference was filed against finance minister Ishaq Dar. The three references against the Sharif family are related to the Flagship Investment Ltd, the Avenfield (London) properties and Jeddah-based Al-Azizia Company and Hill Metal Establishment.
The former Premier and his sons, Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, have been named in all three NAB references, while Maryam and husband Mohammed Safdar have been named only in the Avenfield reference.
The Supreme Court had disqualified Nawaz Sharif from office in July over unreported sources of annual income of about $ 10,000, a salary the former Premier denies ever receiving.
The high court also ordered the NAB to investigate and conduct a trial into the Sharif family’s wider finances, including the London properties. Mr Sharif maintains control of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party, which elected close ally Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as prime minister after Mr Sharif was disqualified.
