ISLAMABAD - An Accountability Court of Islamabad on Wednesday declared former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as Proclaimed Offender in Toshakhana reference and issued his arrest warrants.  

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is currently in the UK, is facing a case related to securing a luxury vehicle from Toshakhana.

According to the reference, Sharif as well as former President and Co-Chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari had obtained cars from Toshakhana by paying only 15 per cent of the price of the luxury vehicles.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) alleged that ex-Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani facilitated the allotment of the vehicles to Zardari and Sharif by ‘dishonestly’ and ‘illegally’ relaxing the procedure for the acceptance and disposal of gifts vide a Cabinet division memorandum of 2007.

When the hearing resumed on Wednesday, a report regarding exhibition of the proclamation of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was submitted before the court upon which the judge Accountability Court Syed Asghar Ali declared that it clearly establishes that the accused Nawaz Sharif is intentionally avoiding, absconding and concealing himself from process of law.

The court declared Nawaz Sharif as Proclaimed Offender and issued his arrest warrants while also directing the Investigation Officer to take concrete steps including approaching Interpol to arrest him at the earliest.