Claims decision rendered in Avenfield reference is a clear mockery and travesty of justice

ISLAMABAD   -  Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz Tuesday filed a new application before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking annulment of the verdict in Avenfield Apartment reference.

In her application, Maryam prayed to the court that the applicant/appellant may graciously be “acquitted of all charges and the order of conviction of accountability court may kindly be set at naught.”

However, the IHC Registrar office raised two objections over her miscellaneous plea seeking acquittal in Avenfield Apartments case. The Registrar said that Maryam’s application contains the same request as it was made in her main petition. The office further observed that the accused can only provide fresh grounds in the plea after permission from the court.

Now, a special bench of the IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani will conduct hearing of the PML-N leader’s application along with objections raised by the registrar’s office on Wednesday (today).

Maryam filed her application through her counsel Irfan Qadir in the high court against the verdict announced by an accountability court in the Avenfiled Apartments case.

She adopted that entire proceedings resulting in aforesaid conviction both at pretrial and post trial stage were “a classic example of outright violations of law and political engineering hitherto unheard of in the history of Pakistan. The element of political engineering is unambiguously established in the instant case especially when the same is placed in juxtaposition with the concurrent violations of law and the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973 that are being brought to the notice of this honourable court in the succeeding paragraphs of this application.”

The PML (N) leader maintained that, besides other important legal considerations, the instant application is being filed “in consequence of certain extremely relevant, simple and clear-cut facts which have come to light after the pronouncement of judgment and sentence dated 06.07.2018. These facts which even otherwise are quite well known are being brought to the notice of this honourable court for enabling it to decide this matter expeditiously, justly, fairly and in accordance with law.”

In her plea, she also mentioned and quoted an excerpt from the speech of former judge of IHC Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui while addressing the Rawalpindi Bar Association. She said that the statements made by Justice Siddiqui not only cast enormous doubt on the impartiality of the impugned decision from which the instant appeal has arisen, but it also unfolds the pressures and manipulation which may have led to the orders of the Supreme Court in respect of the filing of the references against the former Prime Minister and his family, the conduct of the officials of the National Accountability Bureau thereafter and the subsequent trial in the Avenfield reference which finally culminated in the Judgment and sentence dated 06.07.2018.

Maryam stated that it is settled law that justice should not only be done but should manifestly be seen to be done. However it is evident from the aforesaid facts that the decision rendered in the Avenfield reference is a clear mockery and travesty of justice. “Hence, the conviction of the applicant is liable to be set aside,” added the PML-N leader.