ISLAMABAD (APP): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Wednesday instructed the lawyers to give arguments on September 8, in appeals of Vice President PML-N Maryam Nawaz and her husband Cap (reted) Safdar against their conviction in Avenfield Apartment reference.
Earlier, the bench expressed displeasure over absence of Maryam Nawaz and her husband. During hearing, Justice Farooq inquired about the presence of appellants and asked that should this court pass a strict order on accused absence.
The court observed that Maryam Nawaz’s lawyer Amjad Pervaiz should also have not filed the application for adjournment of today’s hearing.
The court observed that these appeal were partly heard and now on every date a new application for adjournment was filed. This court had even decided appeals of 2019-20 in other cases and it was still pending.
National Accountability Bureau’s Prosecutor also requested the court to cancel the bails of the two accused over disappearance from today’s hearing.
The bench was told that Capt. (reted) Safdar was inside the mosque to offer prayer while Maryam Nawaz was reaching the court in few minutes.
Later, the bench expre-ssed unhappiness over ‘lou-dly speaking of Maryam Nawaz’ as she arrived in the courtroom and remarked that the accused deserved for bail cancellation as she didn’t know how to respect the court.
Meanwhile, PML-N’s leader Atta Tarar Advocate arrived at the rostrum and apologized on the matter. After this, the court adjourned hearing on the case till next date. Justice Farooq asked Atta Tarar to tell lawyer Amjad Pervaiz to avoid further delay in hearing. The court further instructed the lawyers to give arguments on next hearing.
It may be mentioned here that Maryam Nawaz’s lawyer Amjad Pervaiz had filed an application to the court on last day requesting it to fix another date after September 3, for hearing on appeals. He adopted the stance that he was on leave from August 16, to September 3, and thus could not appear before the court. A two-judge bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhter Kiyani heard the case.
Maryam was announced a seven year jail along with heavy fine by the accountability court Islamabad while her husband Cap (reted) Safdar was awarded one year imprisonment in the case.
