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Fawad declares dismissal of Nawaz's appeals as victory of people

Fawad declares dismissal of Nawaz's appeals as victory of people
June 24, 2021

ISLAMABAD (92 News) - Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday has declared the dismissal of former premier Nawaz Sharif’s appeals as the victory of people.

In a video message released after the IHC’s verdict, the information minister described the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif’s appeals by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against his convictions in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references as the victory of people and PTI’s stance.

Fawad Chaudhry says Nawaz Sharif has fled the country. "Come back and return the money of the nation. Hudaibiya's money was taken out and flats were bought. From the very beginning, it was PTI's stance that Nawaz Sharif’s family should return the money they had looted from the people of Pakistan,” he added.

It was a victory of ‘justice’ as Nawaz Sharif, who was declared an absconder, had yet to pay the fine imposed on him by the Accountability Court of Islamabad, he added.

Shahzad Akbar said the fugitive would have to appear before court. "The government of Pakistan has written two letters to the United Kingdom. The life of a common man is more in danger than Nawaz Sharif," he added.

Earlier today, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected the appeals of former premier Nawaz Sharif and reinstated his sentences.

A division bench of IHC dismissed the appeals of Nawaz Sharif against the verdicts announced in the Al Azizia Steel Mills and Avenfield apartments references.

IHC judges Justice Umar Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar pronounced a nine-page verdict that was earlier reserved on the pleas of the PML-N quid reinstating his sentences in Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Avenfield Property references, after the accused Nawaz Sharif was declared absconder.

In its verdict, the court stated that Nawaz is an absconder and so there was no choice but to dismiss the pleas. The judgment stated that if Nawaz returns or is caught, an application for a renewal of appeals can be filed.

It is pertinent to mention here that Accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir had on July 6, 2018, convicted Nawaz in the Avenfield reference and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

However, an IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb suspended the sentence in the reference.

Subsequently, accountability judge Mohammad Arshad Malik had on Dec 24, 2018 convicted Sharif in the Al Azizia reference and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment, besides imposing fines of Rs1.5 billion and $25 million. He was acquitted in a joint reference — the Flagship investment reference.