ISLAMABAD – Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif sought the action of Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar regarding the pending 1.8 million cases as he compared the backlog with the visits of the top judge to public sector departments.
Talking to newsmen outside the accountability court in Islamabad on Wednesday – where he appeared regarding the graft references filed by National Accountability Bureau – Sharif expressed that he was not sure, however, the motive behind the visits of CJP to inspect hospitals apparently seemed to be targeting the Sharif family.
“We run a charitable organisation. Sharif Medical College is the best medical colleges and is managed on welfare. It cannot be used to target us,” claimed the former premier.
He cautioned that the CJP should do what he is required to do and shouldn’t interfere with what was not his work.
‘The role of the executive has been eclipsed by the suo-moto notices which amounts to trespassing on the authority of the executive’ observed the former premier as he fired a broadside at the hospital inspections of the supreme court judge.
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When pressed about the last night’s meeting between Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief Justice Mina Saqib Nisar, the PML-N leader kept mum.
Expressing his views on today’s proceedings in the court, the elder Sharif claimed that the prosecutions ‘star witness’ Wajid Zia’s testimony has “washed away all the allegations against Sharif family.”
The PML-N’s ‘Quaid for life’ remarked that the drama would not last long as in his opinion the case was a fraud and that “many forces are a part of this fraud against him and his family.”
The former lawmaker continued that those who had registered the case against them should be embarrassed adding that they (Sharifs) could not be punished in this case.
“If his political enemies want to punish me, then they should forge cases against me for corruption in rental power, Hajj scandal or EOBI where billions of rupees were embezzled,” remarked the politician.
Sharif, who was disqualified by the apex court in the Panama Papers case, said that he appeared before the court as he respects the law.
“Why would I come for the case hearing? My wife is under treatment in London and I should have been allowed to travel” noted Nawaz Sharif.
Wajid Zia Records Statement
Meanwhile, Wajid Zia, the former director of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) who headed the six-member Joint Investigation Team, was cross-examined by Sharif’s counsel Khwaja Harris in the court of accountability judge Muhammed Bashir, who resumed hearing the Avenfield reference against Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar.
During the proceedings on Wednesday (today), Khwaja Harris questioned Zia if there were any documents which proved that Nawaz currently is, or ever was, the beneficial owner of Avenfield apartments?
To this Zia replied: “We don’t have documents to show that Nawaz was the beneficial owner of Avenfield apartments.”
“It is partially correct that we found out about the beneficial owner on the basis of two letters written in 2012 and 2017,” said Wajid Zia, adding that they came to the conclusion analysing the letters and laws of the United Kingdom, Geo News reported.
He further declared that he has never seen original documents of registered offshore holdings.
Zia also informed the court that Nawaz’s elder son Hussain owned the Avenfield flats from 1993 to 1996.
When Maryam’s counsel Amjad Pervez objected to the claim, Zia said Hussain had informed the JIT of the same so the fact cannot be disputed.
