Lahore   -  PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has called for suspension of verdict against her father Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia reference following the Islamabad High Court decision of removing Arshad Malik from the post of accountability court judge. In a series of tweets on Friday, she said that the matter was not about the removal of a judge but about suspension of verdict given by that judge against the former prime minister.

On December 4, 2018, Arshad Malik had handed seven years imprisonment to Nawaz in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference. He however had acquitted PML-N Quaid in another corruption case, the Flagship Investments reference.

"The matter is about removing the verdict, which this judge had given under pressure, from the court record", she stated in one of her tweets.

"The clear meaning of the removal of the judge is that the higher judiciary has accepted the truth", she said in another tweet.

“If this is the case, how can a verdict by this judge (is) being maintained(?)” she raised the question. She also asked why Nawaz Sharif was not being released if the judge, who had given the verdict in the case against him, was removed.

"A judge was found guilty of misconduct and was removed from his post; how can the subject of his misconduct be punished?" she posed the question in her another tweet. She said that the first and the only person who served as PM three times was behind bars despite being "proven innocent".

“Is it enough to only remove the judge? Certainly not," she said while requesting the higher judiciary to declare verdict against Nawaz Sharif void and release him immediately.

"Now this matter is not restricted just to Nawaz Sharif. I am turning to the higher judiciary for justice. I will keep waiting. Thanks", she stated in another tweet.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif also demanded release of Nawaz Sharif, saying the verdict had become void following removal of accountability court judge.

The president of the PML-N said that there was no justification in keeping Nawaz behind the bars. He went on to say that keeping his brother in jail for even for a minute now was illegal.

He claimed that IHC decision of removing the judge has proved the authenticity of video. He reiterated the demand of nullifying the verdict given by the judge "under pressure".

PML-N spokesperson Maryam Aurangzeb also demanded immediate release of party supreme leader after declaring the verdict void. She said the decision of higher judiciary has confirmed that the video/audio tapes were real.

"It has been proven that the facts that Maryam Nawaz brought before the people of Pakistan were correct."

"The judge sahib has conceded that he made the decisions under pressure", she said in a tweet. She claimed that the legal basis for the verdict had ended after the removal of the judge.