In a significant development, the Islamabad High Court has reinstated the appeals of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield references, overturning his convictions. Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court heard the appeals and decided to reinstate them.
A two-member special bench at the Islamabad High Court conducted the hearing on Nawaz Sharif’s appeals. After deliberation, the court announced its decision to revive the appeals. Following this decision, Nawaz Sharif, accompanied by his brother Shehbaz Sharif, left the court premises. The formal hearing for these appeals is now scheduled to take place at a later date.
The Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court, along with Justices Mian Gul Hassan and Orangzeb, consolidated all the requests and conducted the hearing.
Nawaz Sharif had been arrested in connection with the Al-Azizia and Avenfield references, but this decision to reinstate the appeals marks a significant legal development in his ongoing legal battles.
During the proceedings, Nawaz Sharif was represented by his counsel, Amjad Pervaiz Advocate, and Azam Nazeer Tarar. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Prosecutor General also appeared in court with the prosecution team.
The court questioned whether the prosecution wanted to arrest the appellant in this regard. The NAB Prosecutor General clarified that they had no intention of arresting Nawaz Sharif at this stage.
Furthermore, the court inquired about the status of bail if the appeals were reinstated. The NAB Prosecutor General suggested that the court should reissue bail orders if the appeals were revived.
Justice Mian Gul Hassan and Orangzeb noted that if the appeals were reinstated, the request for protective bail would become ineffective. The Chief Justice, Justice Amir Farooq, stated that they would consider the matter further.
The NAB Prosecutor General also mentioned that the references had been withdrawn during the trial for the return of the reference documents, which makes the case non-returnable according to the law. Two appeals by Nawaz Sharif were under consideration during the proceedings, and they were withdrawn due to non-compliance. The court had no objection to reinstating Nawaz Sharif’s appeals, as he had surrendered before the court.
The Chief Justice made it clear that the court would consider further arguments related to the case. Amjad Pervaiz Advocate suggested that Maryam Nawaz’s case in the Avenfield reference had already been decided clearly by the court. He argued that the court had noted that NAB had failed to prove Nawaz Sharif’s involvement in the case and had changed the lawyers three times. This indicates that NAB had been unsuccessful in carrying out its responsibility.
The development was closely monitored by the public and political circles as Nawaz Sharif’s legal battles have significant political implications in Pakistan. The decision to revive the appeals in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield references will likely lead to further legal proceedings and debates in the country’s political landscape.
