LAHOREJustice Mansoor Ali Shah of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to return the assets of the Sharif family which were taken into possession following conviction of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in plane hijacking case and another by the Attock Accountability Court in chopper case. Previously the court had satisfied itself through the NAB that the assets, shares etc. as claimed by the Sharifs were lying with the National Bank at the Prime Ministers Secretariat branch. After hearing the petitioners counsel, Shahid Hamid and the other side, the court directed the respondent to return all the documents and shares certificates etc, which were attached following the court orders. The Sharif family originally moved the LHC, Rawalpindi Bench, for the recovery of their forfeited property and financial assets which the Bureau took into possession during 2001-02. The Sharif family adopted before the court that it was only Nawaz Sharif, who was sentenced by court in the plane hijacking case, and an Accountability Court of Attock also awarded him 14 years sentence. 'As such no justification lay about forfeiting property of his other family members. Moreover, NAB has no justification whatsoever to keep these things under its possession after the Supreme Court and a bench of the LHC set aside the above said sentences earlier awarded to Nawaz Sharif. The Sharifs claimed return of Rs 7.7 million share certificates the family members owned in Hudabiya Papers Mills, the original document of Shahbaz Sharifs property in Murree, documents of property of Mrs Sabeena Abbas in Murree, Rs115 million, 204,500 and 27,35000 share certificate, they owned in two other business concerns. The appellant counsel said the NAB took the same in possession when the members of the Sharif family were in exile and were not able to question their confiscation. The counsel said when no case stands against Nawaz Sharif what justification remains with the NAB to keep the assets of the Sharif members with it. After hearing the parties, the court directed the NAB to give back to the Sharifs whatever it took into possession following orders against Nawaz Sharif. In these terms the court disposed of the petitions.