NAB References: AC adjourns hearing until Oct 19 after police, lawyers’ clashes

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The accountability court (AC) has on Friday adjourned the hearing until October 18 after a clash between lawyers and security officers erupted in judicial complex. Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and her husband Captain (r) Safdar appeared before the accountability court (AC) amid tight security. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, ministers and large number of party workers and lawyers were also present at the Judicial Complex. A clash between police and lawyers broke out after security personnel barred lawyers and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders from entering the court, resulting in the injury of lawyer. The lawyers demanded to allow them to attend the hearing. The agitating lawyers said that they won’t let the hearing start until all the lawyers weren’t allowed to enter the court. Following the clashes, the accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir adjourned the hearing until October 19. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif again failed to appear before an anti-corruption court to face indictment in the Panama Papers case as he is in London with his ailing wife. Earlier, Sharif had failed to appear on October 9 before the court as he was in London with Kulsoom Nawaz. The court had set October 13 as the date of his indictment. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had registered 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 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.