RAWALPINDI - An accountability court on Monday hearing a plea filed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to revive three corruption references against Sharif brothers and other members of their family, refused to summon the accused saying they would be summoned once the petitions would be accepted for hearing.
The court deferred till September 15 the hearing on the plea. AC-IV Special Judge Chaudhry Abdul Haq said that Sharif brothers were public figures and asked why the NAB was adamant upon their appearance in the court. The judge said that accused could be summoned once the petitions were admitted for hearing.
The judge postponed the proceedings directing the prosecution and the defence lawyers to come up to the court with complete preparation on next date of hearing for the arguments instead of praying for adjournment.
During the proceedings, NAB’s Additional Prosecutor General (APG) Chaudhry Muhammad Riaz said the Sharif brothers and other accused in the three references should have personally faced the trial after notices were issued to them.
Ch Hassan Maan Advocate, the defence council, stated that it was not mandatory for his clients Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif to appear before the court personally as the references had not been opened so far.
Hassan Maan also said that the political opponents of Sharif brothers had been trying to harm the credibility of Sharif brothers and the trial could not be initiated after the Lahore High Court in October, 2011 barred the Bureau from taking any action against the petitioners.  “Nawaz and Shahbaz along with other accused had approached LHC last year to get the cases quashed as there were no grounds with NAB to proceed against them. As long as the petition is undecided in the high court the trail court cannot initiate proceedings,” the lawyer argued.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Mian Abbas Sharif, Hussain Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, Haroon Pasha and Senator Ishaq Dar are co-accused in Hudabia Paper Mills case with the charges of getting huge amount as loan in the name of Hudabia Paper Mills and later utilising it for some other purpose.
Similarly, Nawaz Sharif, Abbas Sharif, Mukhtar Hassan, Kamal Qureshi and couple of other persons were facing law suit in Itteefaq Foundry corruption reference.  In Assets Reference the accused included Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, their father late Mian Sharif, mother Shamim Akhtar and other family members.