Nawaz Sharif hires new lawyer

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Thursday hired a new counsel to represent him in the NAB references before the accountability court after his lawyer Khawaja Haris recused himself from the case.

The new counsel Barrister Jahangir Jadoon appeared before Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir during the hearing of the Avenfield property reference, to submit the power of attorney on behalf of his client.

During the course of proceedings, NAB's Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzafar Abbasi stated that Maryam Nawaz’s counsel Amjad Pervaiz, who did not attend the court, was using delay tactics. If the defence counsel did not want to proceed, then the accused should be summoned to face the trial on her own, he added.

He said Pervaiz had himself fixed the date for final arguments, but he did not appear before court.

Junior defence counsel Aurangzeb Advocate, however, said it was first time that Pervaiz could not attend the proceedings due to illness.

The court then granted time to the defence counsel till June 19 to present their final arguments and adjourned the hearing.

Meanwhile, Barrister Jahangir Jadoon submitted an application seeking one-day exemption from hearing for former prime minister had his daughter, which was accepted by the court.

Jadoon said that Khawaja Haris had worked hard in this trial and it was very difficult for a new counsel to move further in this case.

Nawaz Sharif was in contact with Khawaja Haris to resolve this issue, he maintained.