Court adjourns hearing of case against ex-pm

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabadbased accountability court on Monday adjourned the hearing of a reference against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif due to the absence of his lawyers and witnesses.

Sharif’s counsel Khawaja Haris and prosecution witnesses were unable to reach the court due to the prevailing law and order situation in the federal capital. This led judge Muhammad Bashir to adjourn the hearing until Tuesday.

The lawyer and the witnesses failed to make it to the court because of the blockade of roads by a sit-in organised by some religious parties at the Faizabad intersection.

Sharif’s son-in-law Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar reached the court before the hearing was adjourned. He told the reporters that he came here on the advice of his lawyers although he was not involved in the case.

The ousted premier and his family face three references iled by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the Supreme Court direction given in its July 28 judgment in which Sharif was disqualiied as the prime minister.

The apex court has given six months to the accountability court to decide the four references — three against Sharif and his children including Maryam, Hussain and Hassan and Safdar, and one against Senator Ishaq Dar — within six months. For this reason, the court is proceeding at a great pace.

However, Sharif has dubbed the entire process as one-sided and stressed that there was no corruption charge against him or any of his relative. He says that all the so-called allegations related to his family business have nothing to do with any penny from the public kitty.