Avenfield properties reference: Nawaz files reply to 55 questions

ISLAMABAD: Ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has responded to 55 questions asked to him in Avenfield reference being heard by an accountability court.

The reference is related to the London properties of Sharif family and is among three cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in line with the Supreme Court's verdict in the landmark Panama Papers case.

Speaking to media persons before the hearing, Mr Sharif called his ouster by the top court as "inappropriate" and "unnecessary".

"The court ruling has affected my right to a fair trial," Nawaz said, adding that this was his constitutional right.

Nawaz remarked that he had reservations over some members about the joint investigation team (JIT) which was set up by the court to investigate the Panama papers.  

The JIT had comprised six members, including its head Federal Investigation Agency Additional Director Wajid Zia, Amer Aziz of the State Bank of Pakistan, SECP Executive Director Communication Bilal Rasool, Irfan Naeem Mangi of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Brigadier (retd) Nauman Saeed of the Inter-Services Intelligence and Brigadier Kamran Khurshid from the Military Intelligence.

Nawaz raised objections over all six members of the JIT, adding that some of them were affiliated with different political parties.

On Bilal Rasool, the former premier shared that he is the nephew of former Governor Punjab Mian Azhar. Nawaz further said that Azhar's son Hamid Azhar was photographed with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan on August 24, 2017. “The picture was taken at Imran's house in Bani Gala.”

He also said that Rasool has criticised the government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in the past and that his wife is a fervent supporter of PTI.

With regard to Zia, Nawaz said that the JIT head employed the services of his cousins for the probe. During the JIT investigation, a controversy was stirred after Zia had hired the services of his cousin’s British law firm to investigate assets of the Sharif family.

The PML-N leader said that Zia’s biases in the investigation have been evident from the start.

Nawaz also remarked that it was inappropriate to include officers from MI and ISI in the JIT, adding that the JIT report was affected by the current strained civilian-military relations.