ISLAMABAD:The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed the former Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to surrender and appear before it on September 10.
A division bench of the IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani noted that the court was not declaring Nawaz Sharif an absconder and was giving him ‘one more chance to surrender and appear before it on September 10.
“We are not taking a final decision as yet,” the court observed. The division bench was hearing the appeals of Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and her husband, Capt (r) Safdar, against their convictions in the Avenfield reference.
The bench also heard an appeal of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Nawaz Sharif’s acquittal in the Flagship reference as well as appeals against his conviction in the Al-Azizia reference.
Nawaz Sharif’s senior counsel, Khawaja Haris Ahmed, argued his client could not return to the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. To a court query, Khawaja Haris stated that his client was not under treatment at a hospital, however, he will return to the country once his treatment is complete.
Nawaz Sharif was last year allowed to leave for London on bail for medical reasons after he was diagnosed with an immune system disorder. Meanwhile, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and her husband, Captain (r) Muhammad Safdar, also appeared before the court.