Toshakhana case: Nawaz Sharif challenges NAB's summon

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday challenged his summoning by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Toshakhana reference in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Elder Sharif is given last chance by the court to appear before it on August 17, else proceedings to declare him an absconder will begin.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo has requested the court to nullify the accountability court’s decision to advertise his summons in the case.

The PML-N supremo maintained in his petition that the NAB is targeting the opposition to silence its voice. Nawaz Sharif requested the IHC to continue his trial through a representative as his medical treatment is ongoing abroad.

On July 30, the NAB had decided to seize vehicles of former president Asif Ali Zardari and erstwhile prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif in Toshakhana case.

Read more: Toshakhana case: Court moves to declare Sharif fugitive, issues arrest warrants for Zardari

Toshakhana reference

The NAB had filed a reference with the accountability court against the former heads of the state for not depositing luxury vehicles and valuable gifts received from the foreign leaders in the treasury.

NAB sources said that former president Asif Ali Zardari had only paid 15 per cent of the total cost of the vehicles received as gifts through fake accounts.

Zardari had received expensive cars as a gift from Libya and the UAE as president but did not deposit it in the Tosha Khana, the sources added.

Nawaz Sharif and Yousaf Raza Gillani had also received cars as a gift from different foreign leaders as prime ministers and used it themselves instead of depositing them in the treasury.