Quashing reference against Sharif family: SC urged to order NAB to file appeal against LHC order

Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, one of the petitioners in Panama Papers case and president of Awami Muslim League, urged the Supreme Court on Monday to issue directives to National Accountability Bureau to file appeal against Lahore High Court order of quashing a reference against Sharif family in Hudaibiya Paper Mills case.
During the Hudaibiya Paper Mills reference, incumbent Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had become approver and recorded statement before a magistrate about his involvement in laundering Rs 1.2 billion for the Sharifs on April 25, 2000. It is pertinent to mention that Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had nominated Justice Ijazul Ahsan as 'monitoring judge' to oversee NAB proceedings in the wake of final verdict in Panama Papers case.
Filing an application before the monitoring judge, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed submitted that appearing before a three-judge implementation bench of the apex court, Additional Prosecutor General NAB Akbar Tarar had given undertaking that on or around July 21, 2017 by and on behalf of NAB, an appeal would be filed against the Lahore High Court verdict which stopped the Bureau from reopening investigations into Hudaibiya Paper Mills case.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed submitted, "The petitioner, acting reasonably, apprehends and respectfully submits that unless this honourable court takes cognizance of the aforementioned omissions, failures and unlawful decisions and actions of NAB, its chairman, the prosecutor general (and other concerned officials) and seeks explanations from them and enforces the voluntary undertaking earlier given by them and on behalf of NAB to file and appeal, these officials and the accused will succeed in their conspiracy to avoid prosecution in this case of massive money laundering and corruption and corrupt practices involving no less than Rs 700 million."
Terming the failure of the NAB in filing an appeal in time against the LHC judgment in Hudabiya Paper Mills reference as violation of the fundamental right of the petitioner and all citizens of Pakistan, the AML president requested the apex court to initiate contempt proceedings against all concerned officials of the NAB with formal directions to file appeal in the matter.