RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court Tuesday adjourned hearing of corruption references against the Sharif family till Wednesday (today) due to absence of their counsel.

Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir while hearing corruption references against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain Muhammad Safdar (retd) adjourned hearing due to absence of the Sharif family’s counsel.

Unlike the previous hearings, Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Muhammad Safdar (retd) arrived at the Accountability Court in an SUV driven by Safdar amid tight security arrangements. Mahnoor Safdar also accompanied her parents while appearing before the court.

At the outset of hearing, Zafar Khan, a junior member of the Sharif family’s legal team, requested the court to adjourn hearing till 2:00pm because Khawaja Haris, the leading counsel, is busy in the Supreme Court.

Prosecutor NAB Afzal Qureshi while objecting to request of the Sharif’s counsel said that Amjad Pervez, the counsel for Safdar and Maryam Nawaz, during the previous hearing told the court that he will cross-examine the witnesses of the cases in the absence of Haris. However, the judge adjourned the hearing till 2:00pm.

Later, when the court restarted hearing, the judge asked about Haris and Haris’ assistant lawyer Ayesha Hamid informed the court that he is on his way from the Supreme Court to the Accountability Court and will reach the court within a few minutes.

To this, the judge said that neither the counsel nor the accused are present in the court; therefore, he will take up this case next day. However, Haris reached the court after sometime and requested the court to adjourn the hearing till Wednesday 2:00pm as he will be busy in the Supreme Court on Wednesday morning.

To this, the judge adjourned the hearing till 2:00pm today (Wednesday).

Later, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a consultative meeting of the party leaders, lawyers and workers at Punjab House.

Talking to them, Nawaz Sharif maintained that people of the country have rejected his disqualification by the apex court in the Panama Papers case, adding, “The time will prove that my disqualification was nothing but an act of revenge.”

He told the participants that the people through massive participation in his public rallies have given their ‘verdict.’

The meeting also discussed in detail the disqualified premier’s mass-contact drive, mobilization of the people as well as the ongoing cases against the Sharif family in the courts.