ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz, Thursday, appointed Irfan Qadir as her new counsel in her appeal against her conviction in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference, while the Bureau also filed an application for daily hearing of the case.
The PML-N leader told this to a division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani, which heard Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain (retired) Muhammad Safdar’s appeals in the Avenfield property reference.
The NAB filed an application requesting the IHC to conduct day-to-day hearing in appeals of Maryam and her husband Captain against their conviction in the reference.
In the application filed in the court, the anti-graft watchdog adopted that the accused was repeatedly using delaying tactics, deliberately.
It added that the appellant has tried its best to delay and stall the titled proceedings and hamper the smooth progress of the matter.
The NAB argued that the NAO 1999 is a special law, wherein, Section 32 (b) gives 30 days’ time-period for decision of appeals. Therefore, it prayed before the court to conduct day-to-day hearing till its decision.
At the onset of the hearing, PML-N leader Atta Tarar advocate informed the bench that Maryam has engaged Qadir as her new counsel and requested the court to grant one-month time to the new lawyer for preparing a petition on behalf of Maryam.
Tarar stated that there was no delay from their side and added that Amjad Pervaiz, the previous counsel, was unable to attend the proceeding due to his illness.
At this, Justice Farooq expressed his concern on the request and said that it was giving the impression that you were using delaying tactics.
He added that Qadir should have appeared himself to get time.
The NAB prosecutor objected that Pervaiz had not taken back power of attorney yet, while the new counsel of the accused was also not appearing.
Later, the IHC bench deferred the hearing of the case till October 6, and directed the appellants to present their new counsel on the next date of hearing.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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