AC rejects Sharif family’s petitions seeking to stop trial and indictment

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The accountability court (AC) has on Thursday rejected the applications filed by the Sharif family to stop trial and indictment. Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and her husband Captain (r) Safdar have appeared before the accountability court amid tight security on Thursday. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, ministers and large number of party workers and lawyers were also present at the Judicial Complex. Maryam Nawaz and her husband were required to appear before the court for the hearing of reference filed against the Sharif family on the order of the Supreme Court. The accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir resumed hearing of three references filed against Sharif family by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). During the proceedings, Maryam and Captain (r) Safdar requested the court to not indict them saying that they have not received any documents including volume 10 of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report. The NAB prosecutor said that the accused were provided with copy of NAB references and witnesses several days ago, and prayed the court to dispose of the indictment plea. Later, the judge while announcing the reserved verdict rejected Maryam Nawaz and her husband’s petition requesting to stop the indictment. On the other hand, the accountability court also rejected former premier Nawaz Sharif‘s petition seeking to stop the trial until the decision of Supreme Court (SC) decision over the plea to merge all cases in one. Earlier, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his family members and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Islamabad Accountability Court following the verdict. The anti-graft body had frozen the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members to put pressure on them to appear before the court. The Sharifs have denied any wrongdoing and have labelled the corruption proceedings against them as politically motivated. Two of Nawaz’s sons are also due to appear before the NAB court, along with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. Nawaz was disqualified by the Supreme Court in July for not declaring a source of income that he disputes receiving. Pakistan’s top court also ordered a wide-ranging NAB investigation and trial into Sharif family members. The Supreme Court specified that the trial be concluded within six months by NAB, which has in the past been derided as toothless because rich and powerful politicians were seldom convicted.