IHC seeks more legal points on Nawaz, Maryam appeals

ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) heard the appeals, filed against jail terms of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar, here on Tuesday.

The bench, comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar, sought further legal points for reaching a decision when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) counsel requested the court to reject the appeals on the grounds of absence of any pleader for Nawaz Sharif.

Maryam Nawaz and her husband Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar were present in the court but their lawyer, Amjad Pervez, failed to appear on Tuesday. During the hearing, Justice Amir Farooq asked PML-N counsel Azam Nazir Tarar why he was sitting on the back seat. He asked him to come to the rostrum. The judge asked him who would be the pleader in the Nawaz Sharif case. He remarked that the court could either adjourn the hearing in the event of absence of a pleader or set the appeal aside. Azam Nazir Tarar replied that the appeals could be adjourned or set aside by the court in the event of absence of a pleader. The court adjourned the hearing for two weeks, saying the next hearing will be held on June 9.