Nawaz wants Avenfield case verdict deferred till his return

LONDON: Former premier Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday demanded that the accountability court which is scheduled to announce its verdict in the Avenfield properties case against him on July 6 should defer it for a few days so that he could return to the country to hear it in his presence in the courtroom.

Speaking to reporters in London, the PML-N president said he would return to the country once the condition of his wife Kusloom Nawaz, who is on a ventilator at a hospital there, gets better.

His request to postpone the pronouncement of the verdict reinforces the impression that he has no plans to fly back to the country in a day or two to appear in court as he has been given two-day exemption from personal appearance on Tuesday.

Sharif said he is a public representative and won’t fret nor will he display cowardice in the face of hardships.

His wife has been on life-support machines for the past 21 days and underwent a medical procedure, he added. He stressed that the decision should be deferred as it won’t undermine justice.

The accountability court on Tuesday reserved its verdict in the Avenfield reference filed against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and members of his family.