ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the National Accountability Bureau to convince the court on the issue of limitation.
A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Mushir Alam, heard the NAB appeal to reopen Hudaibya Paper Mills case. The court deferred the matter as one of the members of the bench was not available due to death in his family.
At the onset of hearing, Justice Alam said one of the members of the bench, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, had sudden death in his family therefore the bench can’t hear this matter. “We will hear the case most probably day after tomorrow on Friday subject to the availability of the judge (Justice Mazhar),” he added.
Before rising, Justice Alam inquired from the NAB counsel how much more time he would take to complete his arguments.
Imranul Haq said he has almost completed his submission. Upon that Justice Alam told him that he has not yet provided trail of the events of the case and the relevant documents. “We are not deciding the matter on merit, as may be the trial court would look into it but you convince on the issue of limitation,” the judge told the NAB lawyer.
The NAB has made management of Hudaibya Papers Mills Ltd, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Mian Muhammad Abbas Sharif, Mian Hussain Nawaz, Mian Hamza Shahbaz, Shamim Akhtar, Sabiha Abbas and Maryam Nawaz as respondents and federation through Secretary Ministry of Law and Justice and Judge of Accountability Court No IV, Rawalpindi, as pro forma respondents.
The court in last hearing observed that the judgment of Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, one of the members of the five-judge bench, which had delivered judgment on the Panama case on April 20, is the minority judgment. There is nothing in the Panama judgment about Hudaibya case, and in the 28th judgment on the case, the apex court only said when the matter would come before them then they will see it. Therefore the court repeatedly ask the NAB special prosecutor general accountability to satisfy it on the issue of limitation.