LHC seeks reply from NAB on Maryam’s ECL petition

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought a reply from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on a petition by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz for one-time permission to go abroad. A two-judge bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh took up the petition of Maryam with arguments of her counsel Azam Nazir Tarar. The counsel told the bench that doctors in London advised surgical procedure to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, father of the petitioner, which was scheduled to be started on February 24. He said the petitioner had already lost her mother and had voluntary returned to the country to serve sentence by an accountability court. He said Nawaz has not regained his health so far as he is still undergoing diagnosis process as per fresh medical reports filed with the court. He argued that the petitioner is in a dire need to go abroad to attend her ailing father. He referred to a Sindh High Court decision wherein an under trial prisoner was allowed to travel abroad once. He said the name of petitioner be removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) and she be given a one-time permission for six weeks to travel to London. NAB Special Prosecutor Faisal Raza Bokhari opposed the petition and argued that the petitioner is still convicted as her sentence had only been suspended by the Islamabad High Court and not set aside. The bench directed the prosecutor to file a reply to the petition in light of the fresh medical reports of Nawaz, submitted by the petitioner. The hearing was adjourned till February 25.