Avenfield Reference: Court adjourns hearing against Sharif family until 20th

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – An accountability court on Friday adjourned the hearing of Avenfield reference against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family until March 20. The accountability court (AC) judge Muhammad Bashir was conducting hearing of the Avenfield reference against the Sharif family. Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (r) Safdar appeared before the court amid tight security. In today’s proceedings, Wajid Zia, prosecution witness and former head of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed by the Supreme Court to probe into the Panagagate scandal, recorded his statement and submitted before the accountability court the original Qatari letter. He also presented land registry of Nelson and Nescol companies in the court which made part of court record. Earlier talking to the media, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday while criticizing his political opponents said that the only aim of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) politics was to deceive the masses. Talking to media in Islamabad on Friday, he said that the PPP and PTI always wished to enter from the backdoor. Taking a jibe at newly-elected Senate chairman, Nawaz said that a group of six people nominated Sadiq Sanjrani and he become the Senate chairman. Previously, 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 NAB 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 labeled 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.