LAHORE: A Lahore High Court (LHC) a division bench headed by Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi summoned the returning officer concerned along with the record of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s case.
During the hearing, Justice Naqvi asked Abbasi to stop issuing anti-judiciary statements, saying he “would have to appear before the same courts tomorrow”.
About calling Nawaz Sharif as my prime minister, he said, “A shoe was hurled at your prime minister yesterday, adding that what kind of treatment the elected representatives facing.
Abbasi’s counsel Khawaja Ahmad Tariq Rahim argued that all documents were enclosed with the nomination papers filed before the returning officer. He said neither concealment nor any changing had been committed by the petitioner in the nomination papers.
Lawyer of the objector, who challenged the prime minister’s candidature before appellate tribunal, told the bench that Abbasi did not disclose the details of his shares in Airblue and Pine Inn hotel in Murree.
He said there were discrepancies in the affidavits of the former prime minister filed with the two nomination papers.
The bench directed the returning officer to appear in person on Thursday (today) along with complete record of the case.
Later, Abbasi said the announcement of decision by an accountability court in the Avenfield case against Sharif family should be delayed till the return of Nawaz. He said Nawaz could appear before the accountability court, if the announcement of the verdict was delayed.
The former prime minister was talking to media persons at the LHC after attending proceedings of his petition against life disqualification inflicted on him by an appellate tribunal restraining him from contesting upcoming general election from NA-57, which covers the Murree tehsil of Rawalpindi.
He said the ousted prime minister was unable to return to the country due to critical health situation of his wife Kulsoom Nawaz.
Abbasi said he always respected the decisions of courts and also accept decision in his case whether it came against him. He said his counsel had presented all the evidence before the court.
He said torrential rains were not new in the country as many cities faced problems due to massive rainwater. He said the caretaker government could not be entirely held responsible for the accumulation of rainwater in Lahore as it had no experience. However, he said Shahbaz Sharif had nicely controlled the situations during his stint.
Meanwhile, PTI’s spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry said Nawaz had facilitated his sons escape from the country and now he himself would not come back.
He said the minimum sentence of Nawaz and others, under the NAB law, could be of seven-year imprisonment while the maximum sentence would at the discretion of the court.
Nawaz, he said, was given plenty of time for his defence before the courts but he could not present anything to prove his innocence.
“If Sharifs don’t have trust on the Supreme Court and the high court then they should approach Delhi courts for justice,” said Fawad who had appeared before a division bench seized with hearing of his petition against his disqualification and rejection of papers for the general election.
“We personally attended the courts’ proceedings but he (Nawaz) had nothing for his defence,” he stated.
He went on to say that Nawaz had to accept the court orders whatever the protest he was staging against the courts.
Earlier, the court took up his petition against rejection of his nomination papers for NA-67, Jhelum, and his disqualification to become member of the parliament.
However, the court put off hearing on his petition till Thursday (today).
