IHC bench hearing Sharifs' bail pleas, dissolves

ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seized with the hearing of appeals filed by former premier Nawaz Sharif and members of his family against their sentences dissolved after a judge went on summer vacation, ARY News reported. 

Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC went on summer vacations after which the registrar of the court referred the case to the chief justice to constitute another bench to hear and decide it.

Meanwhile, the former premier, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar filed a miscellaneous application seeking an amendment in their petitions by nominating as respondent the accountability court and National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Earlier this week, the bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Auranzeb had allowed a request by Amjad Pervaiz, the counsel for Safdar, seeking to file amended petitions.

NAB deputy prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi pointed out that the petitioners have not named the accountability judge and NAB as respondents in the petition. He said the petitioners have only nominated NAB chairman as respondent.

On July 6, the PML-N supreme leader was awarded 10 years in prison, while his daughter Maryam and her spouse Capt Safdar were handed seven years’ and one year’s prison term, respectively.

Accountability Judge Muhammad Bashir ordered forfeiture of their properties in the Avenfield Apartments and Park Lane of London. He imposed a fine of £8 million (approximately Rs1,292m) on the former premier and £2 million (approximately Rs323m) on his daughter.

Besides, three convicts were awarded an additional one-year imprisonment, which will run concurrently for not cooperating with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).