PML-N for open court trial

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Tuesday urged Islamabad High Court (IHC) to conduct speedy hearing on the appeals submitted to it against Accountability Court’s judgment in the Avenfield reference.

Talking to the reporters outside the IHC, the leaders of PML-N including Senator Pervaiz Rashid and Barrister Zafarullah demanded an open court hearing on the appeals of Sharif family and also expressed resentment for not producing former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain Muhammad Safdar (retd) before the court.

“Fear exists among the people of the country and the PML-N workers as to what has happened with Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law in the last few days in the jail due to which the authorities are trying to keep them away from the public eye,” Rashid said.

He said that Nawaz Sharif and his daughter had appeared for more than 100 times and even twice in a day for hearings in the cases against them over the last one year. “Why have two different approaches been adopted?” he asked, fearing that as to why Nawaz Sharif is being deprived of his legal right to be in the court during the hearing against him.

He said that Sharif’s lawyers have filed appeals in the court, expressing the hope that the same speed with which the trial was conducted against them should also be applied on proceedings on the appeals.

Responding to a question, he claimed that the former PML-N government did not file any case against any political leader during its five years term. “Despite attacks on the Parliament House, PTV Headquarters and other state buildings during PTI’s 2014 sit-ins, the PML-N government did not try to arrest those who were wanted by the court just to avoid impression of the political victimization,” he added.

Barrister Zafarullah contended that the decision to conduct the trial of Nawaz Sharif in Adiala Jail is “unjustified”. “A decision was made in the darkness of night that the trial of Nawaz Sharif will be conducted in Adiala Jail which is unjustified. We want an open court trial,” he said, adding, “Conducting secret trails reminds the era of someone else.” “When the trials are conducted the way they were in 70s and 80s, they remind us the era of someone else and it would shatter confidence of the people in the courts,” he added.