LHC issues notice to Maryam on NAB plea for bail cancellation

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday issued notice to Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz for April 7 on a petition filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for her bail cancellation in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

A division bench, headed by Justice Sardar Muhammad Safraz Dogar, heard the petition, whereas prosecutors Chaudhry Khaliq-uz-Zaman and Faisal Bukhari represented the bureau.

The NAB prosecutors argued before the bench that Maryam Nawaz was misusing the concession of bail granted to her in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

The court asked the prosecutors to point out the misuse of bail by her.

The court was informed that Maryam Nawaz was summoned by the bureau after the bail but she attempted to hamper the proceedings pending against her by attacking the regional NAB office on August 11, 2020. They stated that the provincial police had registered an FIR over the incident, wherein the role attributed to the respondent could not be ignored.

However, the court questioned prosecutors as to why the bureau moved the petition after one year of the incident.

To this, the prosecutors replied that often it was attempted to connect political matters of Maryam Nawaz with the bureau, therefore, the petition was not filed.

Subsequently, the bench issued notices to PML-N vice president and sought reply by April 7.

The NAB authorities had filed the petition for bail cancellation of Maryam Nawaz, stating that she was misusing the concession of bail. It was submitted that the respondent was openly threatening the institutions including the judiciary, in public gatherings, media talks and tweets.

Thus, she was causing hatred and contempt against the government and the state institutions which was tantamount to sedition, the bureau added.