Al-Azizia and Avenfield references: Nawaz granted protective bail till 24th

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC), Thursday, granted protective bail to Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Nawaz Sharif till October 24 in Al-Azizia and Avenfield references of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

A division bench comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, on Thursday, heard Sharif’s protective bail pleas and granted him bail after the NAB prosecutor informed the bench that the Bureau has no objection to the grant of relief to the petitioner in the instant petition.

During the hearing, Naeem Tariq Sanghera, deputy prosecutor general, Muhammad Rafay Maqsood, senior special prosecutor and Muhammad Afzal Qureshi, special prosecutor representing the NAB appeared before the bench in response to the notices issued by the IHC bench.

Saghera, when confronted as to the instructions, again reiterated the stance of the NAB and submitted that he has been instructed by the prosecutor general NAB to state that the prosecution agency has no objection to the grant of relief to the petitioner in the instant petition by way of protection from the arrest in the appeal/case in hand.

The IHC bench noted, “Since the respondent has accorded its consent and decided not to contest the petition, let the petitioner appear before this Court on 24.10.2023.” It added, “Meanwhile, he shall not be arrested on his arrival in Pakistan until he surrenders before this Court. This issues with the consent of the Deputy Prosecutor General, NAB Headquarters.”

Nawaz’s counsels, including former law minister Azam Nazir Tarar and Amjad Pervaiz, appeared before the court while NAB prosecutor Sanghera presented his arguments in favour of the petitions moved by Sharif.

At this, the IHC chief justice asked why the NAB’s stance has changed? The prosecutor replied that the NAB’s stance is the same. He maintained that the prosecution holds no objection to protective bail being granted. He added that their stance remains that if he [Nawaz] wishes to appear before the court, he may do so. He mentioned that the IHC had also written in its order that when the petitioner returns, he could “restore his appeal”.

The IHC chief justice inquired that from whom you have taken directions. To this, Sanghera answered that he had taken directives from the NAB’s prosecutor general.

Then, Justice Aamer directed him to submit a statement in writing that the NAB had no objection to Nawaz’s return.

Subsequently, the IHC bench accepted the former prime minister’s petitions granting him protective bail and restraining the police from arresting him on his arrival in the country on October 21 (Saturday).

The three-time former prime minister was declared a proclaimed offender by the IHC in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases over non-compliance after he went to London for medical treatment with the court’s permission in November 2019. In Avenfield and Al-Azizia references, Nawaz was sentenced to 10 and seven years in prison, respectively, by an accountability court in 2018.

His appeals against the convictions were dismissed by the IHC bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani for non-compliance. Nawaz’s sentence in Al-Azizia reference was suspended in 2019 by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on medical grounds and he was permitted to fly to London to seek treatment, after which he did not return.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023