Tosha Khana reference: Nawaz moves IHC against NAB court summons

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday challenged his summons and arrest warrants an accountability court issued in the Tosha Khana corruption reference in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The reference, filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), accuses Sharif, and former president Asif Zardari of obtaining luxury vehicles from the Tosha Khana — the state gift depository — allegedly by paying low prices of the cars. The bureau further alleges that then-prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani facilitated Zardari and Nawaz in that regard.

On June 11, a non-bailable arrest warrant for Sharif was issued by the accountability court in the case over his repeated absence from hearings.

On Saturday, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo filed a petition in the IHC through Barrister Jehangir Jadoon, requesting the court to nullify the accountability court’s decision to issue an advertisement for his arrest, Geo News reported.

Sharif also requested the IHC to nullify the accountability court’s decision to issue arrest warrants. The petition added that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was “targeting the opposition to suppress its voice”.

“Nawaz Sharif is not a fugitive but is abroad undergoing treatment and should be allowed to face trial through his representative,” the petition stated.

The counsel also noted that the European Union and Human Rights Watch have also expressed concerns over NAB’s actions.