Al-Azizia reference: Nawaz gets 3-day exemption from appearing in court

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Monday got three-day exemption from the Accountability Court-II from appearance in Al-Azizia Steel and Hill Metal Establishment reference on account of Kulsoom Nawaz’s death.

Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Haris moved an application to Judge Justice Mohammad Arshad Malik seeking five-day exemption from personal appearance in the court for his client.

The application stated that former first lady Kulsoom Nawaz’s death had affected Nawaz’s mental and physical health and also cited his personal commitments as reasons for not appearing before the court.

The application has also nominated Ibrahim Haroon to appear in court in lieu of Nawaz Sharif for the exempted time period.

Objecting to the application, NAB prosecutor Wasiq Malik said the applicant was not facing extraordinary circumstances to qualify for exemption.

He argued that no certificate of the defendant’s health was produced before the court and there was no provision in the law to grant exemption on the grounds mentioned in the application.

On this, Khawaja Haris said it was normal for a person to get affected in such circumstances and assured the court that the trial will not be affected due to Nawaz’s three-day exemption.