Chaudhry Sugar Mills case: LHC seeks Maryam’s reply by April 7

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Monday questioned over one year delay by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in seeking cancelation of post-arrest bail of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, asked the prosecution as to why the NAB wanted the court to cancel the bail of the respondent. Deputy Prosecutor General Chaudhry Khaliquz Zaman said the basic ground for cancellation of bail was misuse of concession by the respondent.

“How did Maryam misuse the bail?” the bench asked the prosecutor. He said the respondent had been avoiding her appearance before the NAB. The prosecutor pointed out that the workers of the respondent’s party attacked police and hurled stones at the office of the NAB when she was summoned to appear before the investigators on Aug 11, 2020.

He said the bureau got a case registered [of the incident] with the police concerned adding that the appearance of the respondent was required for investigation. “Where have you been for a year and how many times the NAB has summoned her after the incident?” Justice Dogar asked the prosecutor.

The prosecutor said the respondent had not been summoned in the wake of by-polls and election of the Senate. The respondent would have used it to take advantage among the public, he added.

After hearing initial contention of the prosecutor, the bench issued notice to Maryam Nawaz for her reply by April 7. The NAB in its petition alleged that the respondent had chosen a path of attacking the state institutions and tried to cause friction in the rank and file of armed forces and was also inciting the general public against them by publicly attacking them and the heads of other institutions.

The NAB argued that the conduct of the respondent attracted specific grounds to seek cancellation of post arrest bail. A two-judge bench had granted bail to Ms Nawaz on Nov 4, 2019 on bail.