A division bench of the Islamabad High Court is hearing separate applications filed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seeking protective bail in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references.
The division bench consists of Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb from the IHC heard the pleas.
Earlier, the Registrar’s Office assigned a hearing number to these applications at the request of Nawaz Sharif’s legal team.
In his plea, Nawaz Sharif has requested protective bail to surrender himself before the law. He intends to face the cases against him, and he is asking that authorities refrain from arresting him so that he can appear in court.
Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on a special flight on October 21, and he is seeking protective bail for this purpose.
In his application, Nawaz Sharif alleges that undemocratic forces have previously targeted him and his family for political reasons, using the law as a weapon. He claims that cases against him during previous regimes did not hold up and were based on political vendettas.
Nawaz Sharif further alleges that a conspiracy was devised to remove him from the political scene.
The application includes details of the hearings in the Supreme Court related to the Panama Papers case and his appearances before the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).
Nawaz Sharif claims that the JIT failed to produce any evidence of misuse of power, kickbacks, or commissions against him. He argues that he was dismissed on the basis of not receiving a salary when no evidence of corruption was found.
He also emphasizes that he never misused bail and couldn’t appear in court solely due to medical reasons. He points out that medical reports were regularly submitted to the Lahore High Court.
During the proceedings, Chief Justice Farooq inquired about the status of the case and whether Nawaz Sharif was considered a fugitive. Counsel Amjad Pervaiz confirmed that his client had not misused the bail granted to him and that he was abroad when the sentence was pronounced.
Former Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar informed the court that Nawaz Sharif would land in Islamabad on October 21.
The NAB prosecutor expressed no objection to the return of a suspect who wishes to do so.
The court subsequently issued a notice on Nawaz’s application for protective bail and requested a response from the NAB for the following day.
Nawaz’s legal team, which includes Amjad Pervaiz and Azam Nazeer Tarar, requested an expedited hearing of the application.
Nawaz Sharif has also requested the restoration of appeals against him.
PML-N leader Ata Tarar submitted the appeals as a special representative of Nawaz Sharif and ensured biometric verification as an attorney.
In a change of plan, Nawaz Sharif is expected to land at Islamabad International Airport instead of Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport and subsequently appear before the Islamabad High Court. This decision has been finalized after consultations. The legal team sources claim that the appeals in his cases are pending in the IHC, where he plans to surrender and seek suspension of his sentence.
