Day of reckoning for Nawaz

Ag agencies

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court seized with graft references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is all set to decide the fate of three-time PM in Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment cases today (Monday).

Security has been beefed up in Islamabad and Rawalpindi ahead of announcement of verdict by the accountability court. Enhanced security plan includes deployment of heavy contingent of security forces, including Rangers and 1,000 police officers, particularly, on the accountability court’s premises in Islamabad to curb a possible resistance by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supporters. Moreover, only Nawaz Sharif and his lawyers will be allowed to enter the courtroom.

The government has made planning to not let the situation go out of hand in case Nawaz Sharif is sent to jail. The PML-N workers are likely to take to streets if Nawaz Sharif is found guilty and might create hurdle for the government during his transfer to Adiala Jail. In that case, according to sources, the ousted PM would be taken to jail by a helicopter if situation on the roads became unfeasible.

Besides, the Interior Ministry has evolved a special security plan to maintain law and order situation in the federal capital. Along with deployment of eight prisoner vehicles, plainclothes policemen will also be deployed to arrest those found involved in ransacking public and private properties.

On the other hand, Nawaz Sharif has also arrived in Islamabad ahead of the verdict that is expected to be delivered in the morning around 9:00am. Upon his arrival from Lahore, he met party president and younger brother Shahbaz Sharif at his Ministers’ Enclave residence to discuss the party matters and post-verdict scenario.

Nawaz Sharif said that no matter what the accountability court decides in the corruption references against Sharif family, they will take a legal course of action in the matter. Nawaz and Shahbaz, in the meeting, decided that they will likely approach other opposition parties once the verdict is issued.

Earlier in the day, Maryam Nawaz vowed to play an active part in mobilising the PML-N workers to raise voice for justice for Nawaz Sharif, Geo News reported.

The daughter of the former prime minister expressed her ambitions in a meeting with Nawaz Sharif, the sources said. She was quoted as saying that the accountability court’s decisions that were meant to distance her father from the masses were grounded in baseless assumptions.

Maryam vowed to play role as a PML-N worker to raise voice for justice.

The trial against the Sharif family commenced on September 14, 2017. On July 6, after four extensions in the original six-month deadline to conclude all three cases, the accountability court announced its verdict in the Avenfield reference. Nawaz, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Captain (R) Safdar were sentenced to 11 years, eight years and one year, respectively, in prison.

Nawaz and his sons, Hussain and Hasan, are accused in all three references whereas Maryam and Safdar were accused in the Avenfield reference only. The two brothers, based abroad, have been absconding since the proceedings began last year and were declared proclaimed offenders by the court.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan will also hear an important case pertaining to money laundering against the PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and others today (Monday).

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar will hear the case.

Asif Zardari’s counsels, Farooq H Naek and Sardar Lateef Khosa will appear before the bench, which includes Justice Umar Ata Bandiyal and Justice Ijazul Ahsan. The case will be heard at the apex court’s Lahore registry.

The court, during today’s hearing, is expected to hand over the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report to the PPP leader’s legal team.

Advocate Khosa said that he can’t say anything definitive on what will happen, but as per the regular procedure, the court would hand over the report and set the next hearing date.

A banking court on Friday extended the interim pre-arrest bail of Zardari and Faryal Talpur till January 7 in the ongoing money laundering case.

The JIT that has been investigating the fake accounts case recommended a legal course against some 415 key individuals and around 172 entities allegedly involved in transactions of approximately Rs220 billion through 104 fake accounts.

The FIA is investigating 32 people in relation to money laundering from fictitious accounts, including Zardari and Talpur. Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested in July in connection with the probe. The former president’s other close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed a close aide and Omni Group chairman and his son, Abdul Ghani, were arrested by FIA in August.

Over 20 benami accounts at some private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made, according to sources. The amount, according to FIA sources, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.