IHC grants protective bail to Nawaz in Avenfield, Al-Azizia references
- Bail has been granted till October 24
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted on Thursday bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s plea in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases until October 24.
In 2018, Nawaz was sentenced to 10 and seven years in prison in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references, respectively.
Today, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb took up the case. The bench has stopped the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from arresting the former PM till October 24.
According to PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz, who has been in self-imposed exile since 2019 in London after being disqualified for life in the Panama Papers case, will return to Pakistan on October 21.
On Wednesday, the former PM approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking protective bail in Al-Azizia and Avenfield references.
The petitions were filed by PML-N’s Ataullah Tarar on Nawaz’s behalf. In the pleas, Nawaz said he was seeking protective bail in order to surrender before the court on his return to Pakistan.
The pleas said although the PML-N supremo had not fully recovered, he had decided to come back to Pakistan at a time when the country was faced with the “worst-ever crises of economy and other fronts”.
Nawaz’s counsel, Amjad Pervez informed the court that his client was seeking protective bail and gave reference of previous judgments and added that in the past, absconders were granted protective bail in order to surrender before the court.
The three-time former prime minister was declared a proclaimed offender by the IHC in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases over non-compliance after he went to London for medical treatment with the court’s permission in November 2019.
Arrest warrants in Toshakhana case suspended
Meanwhile, an accountability court suspended on Thursday Nawaz’s arrest warrant in the Toshakhana case.
Accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir approved Nawaz’s request for suspension of his arrest warrant in the Toshakhana reference.
The judge said that the arrest warrant would be restored if the accused did not appear before the court on October 24.
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