Pakistan’s Ex-Prime Minister Fails to Appear in Court for Corruption Trial

The accountability court is trying the brothers along with their father Nawaz Sharif, sister Maryam and brother-in-law Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar, in corruption references filed against them by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the Supreme Court’s instructions.

The next court hearing is on October 13, when members of the Sharif family will be indicted.

On the other hand, Sharif and two of his sons were absent from the proceedings since they are accompanying their 67-year-old mother in London.

Sharif attended the previous two hearings but went to London last week to see his ailing wife. “I am being penalized just because I am daughter of Nawaz Sharif”, she said, adding that she and her husband would face the cases.

The court held brief hearing and took a break before announcing the hearing will resume shortly. The court has also directed to hear their case in separate trials. She was not detained and later reached the court.

Both were given bail in lieu of surety bonds of Rs. 50,000.

The court rejected NAB’s request to confiscate Mr Safdar’s passport and to issue his judicial remand, however, the accused has been directed not to leave the country without court’s permission.

The former premier and his sons have been named in all three NAB references, while Maryam and husband Safdar were named in one.

“We are not among those who worry about arrests”, the Dawn quoted Maryam, as saying.

NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Chaudhry Khaliquz Zaman said that since Sharif’s sons were declared proclaimed offenders, their properties in Pakistan would be attached. “But here the case which was started from Panama ended on Iqama and these cases would continue till the Day of Judgment”. “The judges will have to answer the nation”. “Those who sent home representative of 20 crore people should also be brought to justice”, she said. He also presented Medical Certificate of Kulsoom Nawaz before the court. The court accepted the plea. They were then transported to an accountability court in Islamabad, Pakistan.