IHC expresses displeasure over absence of Maryam, Safdar

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday instructed the lawyers to give arguments on September 8, in appeals of PMLN Vice President Maryam Nawaz and her husband Cap (retd) Muhammad Safdar against their conviction in the Avenfield Apartment reference.Earlier, the bench expressed displeasure over absence of Maryam Nawaz and her husband. During the hearing, Justice Farooq inquired about the presence of appellants and said should this court pass a strict order on the accused’s absence. The court observed that Maryam Nawaz’s lawyer Amjad Pervaiz should not have filed the application for the adjournment of the hearing. The court observed that these appeals were partly heard and now on every date, a new application for adjournment is filed.

This court has even decided appeals of 2019-20 in other cases and it is still pending.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor requested the court to cancel the bails of the two accused over disappearance. The bench was told that Capt (retd) Safdar is inside the mosque to offer prayers while Maryam Nawaz is reaching the court in few minutes.

The bench expressed unhappiness over loudly speaking of Maryam Nawaz as she arrived in the courtroom and remarked that the accused deserve bail cancellation as she doesn’t know how to respect the court.

PML-N leader Advocate Atta Tarar arrived at the rostrum and apologized on the matter. After this, the court adjourned the hearing. Justice Farooq asked Tarar to tell Amjad Pervaiz to avoid further delay in the hearing. The court instructed the lawyers to give arguments on the next hearing.