An accountability court on Wednesday extending remand of Maryam Nawaz in Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case turned down her verbal request for a meeting with her father Mian Nawaz Sharif, at Services Hospital.

Maryam requesting the court verbally said, "I will be grateful if court allows me to see my ailing father on my way back to jail". The court however, observed, it could not pass such order.

The court also extended judicial remand of Maryam and her cousin Yousaf Abbas for two more days as a prosecutor of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sought more time to file reference against the suspects.

Appearance of Nawaz Sharif is also fixed for the same date on expiry of his physical remand in the same case. PML-N leaders including Ahsan Iqbal, Muhammad Zubair, Maryam Aurangzeb, Sara Afzal Tarar, Hina Pervez Butt, Bilal Yasin, Khurram Dastagir, Musaddiq Malik and Nehal Hashmi also attended the proceedings to express solidarity with Maryam.

Maryam had tears in her eyes as she talked to her ailing father on mobile phone after the proceedings. She told him that the court did not permit her to visit him in the hospital. Later, she was taken back to Kot Lakhpat jail.

The NAB had shifted Nawaz Sharif to Services Hospital late on Monday night after his personal physician Dr Adnan Khan reported that his platelets count dropped to below standard value. At the hospital, doctors immediately transfused platelets into Nawaz Sharif to save his life. Outside the court, a heavy police contingent was deployed while roads leading to the judicial complex were closed by placing containers. The police restricted entry of party workers, lawyers and media persons as well to the courtroom.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019