ISLAMABAD - Chief Justice of Pakistan will hear former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s appeal seeking clubbing all references filed against him by the National Accountability Bureau.
SC registrar office last month had rejected Nawaz’s petition to merge all three corruption references by raising objections on it. The accountability court two days ago had also turned down his request to club the references.
CJP Mian Saqib Nisar will hear Nawaz Sharif’s appeal against the registrar decision in his chamber tomorrow (Monday).
The chief justice on Nov 15 (Wednesday) will also hear PTI lawmakers appeal against registrar’s decision to not entertain their petition against PML-N and PPP’s alleged receiving foreign funds.
Nawaz Sharif’s appeal maintains that filing three separate references is illegal and unconstitutional, besides being in violation of the fundamental rights.
His lawyer Khawaja Harris has contended that the charges levelled against Sharifs were similar in all three references. The references are related to different assets but the accused are the same.
He said the court had the authority to continue with the proceedings after merging the references, adding that under the law an accused could not be punished for a crime multiple times.
Harris pleaded that while three references could remain, a single trial should be held against the accused. If they are found guilty after trial of the central reference, one sentence should be announced.
He also pointed out that nine and 13 witnesses have been named in the Flagship Investment Ltd reference and Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference, respectively. Six witnesses are common in both references and three are common in the Avenfield flats reference, he observed.
If the same witness is allowed to testify in multiple references, he or she would get time to prepare as they would know what questions the defence counsel is likely to ask and they might alter their statement accordingly, he argued.
PTI petitions against PPP, PML-N
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MNAs Dr Shireen Mazari and Asad Umar had separately filed petitions alleging Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party of receiving funds from foreign and forbidden sources.
The SC registrar, raising objections, directed the two leaders to approach the relevant forums as these petitions could not be filed under Article 184(3) of the constitution.
The PTI lawmakers then filed appeals against the registrar’s order which would be heard by the chief justice on November 15 in his chamber.
Shireen and Asad in their petitions, filed through advocate Chaudhry Faisal, had requested the apex court to direct the Election Commission of Pakistan to investigate the PPP and PML-N sources of funding and withdraw the election symbols allotted to them.
They requested the apex court to impose a ban on the PML-N for acting against the ‘integrity and sovereignty’ of Pakistan. They also sought disqualification of the PPP and PML-N chiefs who, they alleged, had submitted false certificates regarding their parties’ funds.
The petitions claimed that funds donated by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif were not mentioned in the details submitted by the PML-N to the ECP. According to the petition, Sharif had contributed Rs100 million to the party in funds. Later, he retrieved Rs40 million.
The requests also state that the PPP and PML-N have made funding agreements with private companies in the US. The petitioners alleged that the PPP has also secured funds through the Pakistan embassy.
The PTI itself is currently facing two separates cases in relation to receiving foreign funding; one before the SC and the other before the ECP.
TECHNOCRAT GOVT NOT ACCEPTABLE: SCBA
The Supreme Court Bar Association has said that the bar associations across the country would forge a solid block so that all rumours or any effort to set up a farce and artificial technocrat or national government are put to rest.
In a statement issued on Saturday SCBA President Pir Kaleem Khursheed said that technocrat or national government will not be acceptable to them as it could seriously damage the progress of the country.
He vowed to build a strong public opinion so that no direct or indirect sanction is granted to the acts that are beyond the constitutional framework. He said that too many mistakes have been made in the past therefore now Pakistan cannot afford any adventurism by the army.
The bar president deplored the highhandedness of invisible forces against journalists and activists. “Such actions must be investigated independently and those responsible for fostering an atmosphere of fear by taking the law in own hands should be brought to justice.
CJP to hear Nawaz appeal seeking NAB cases’ merger
TERENCE J SIGAMONY