Thursday, March 28, 2024

LHC again postpones hearing of plea to remove Nawaz Sharif’s name from ECL

LHC again postpones hearing of plea to remove Nawaz Sharif’s name from ECL
November 16, 2019
LAHORE (92 News) – The Lahore High Court (LHC) again postponed the hearing of the plea to remove the name of former premier Nawaz Sharif from the ECL for the third time. Earlier, the court had adjourned the plea twice for 15 minutes. A two-member bench headed by Justice Ali Baqir Najafi is hearing the plea. During the hearing, the court questioned whether a condition can be put to remove the name from the ECL. “Is the government wants to review its decision or not?” The counsel for the federation said that Nawaz Sharif should submit the bonds to court if it does not want to submit them to the government. On the court order, Shehbaz Sharif submitted a two-page hand-written affidavit, assuring that Nawaz Sharif will return soon after his recovery. According to the affidavit, Nawaz Sharif will face the cases against him after his return. “Nawaz Sharif is going abroad on the recommendation of doctors and would return to the homeland without wasting a moment,” it stated. On Friday, the LHC had declared a plea seeking removal of Nawaz Sharif’s name from the (ECL) unconditionally. The court has also summoned the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and both parties at 11:30pm on Saturday. While hearing the plea, the court remarked that it did not want to give the impression of hearing in haste. The additional attorney general said that the government had put the condition of indemnity bonds on humanitarian grounds. “If the PML-N is in haste, it should submit the bonds.” He demanded that the hearing should be adjourned till Monday. The federal government and the NAB had objected to the jurisdiction of the court and the application filed by Shehbaz Sharif. The government submitted a 45-page para-wise reply to court and opposed the unconditional permission to go abroad. It stated that Nawaz Sharif’s name was put on the ECL under instructions from the NAB. “The LHC has no authority to hear the plea as it is federal government’s job to remove the name from the ECL,” it maintained. The government stated that it is responsibility of the government to present a convicted person. Shehbaz Sharif’s lawyer contended that the LHC had power to hear the case. “There is an example of removing the name of Pervez Musharraf from the ECL,” he stated. The counsel also presented the copies of several other verdicts.