A petition against declaring former Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif a fugitive in Toshakhana Reference has been fixed for hearing.

A two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Justice Athar Minallah has been constituted. Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq will hear the case on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif has challenged his summoning by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the toshakhana reference in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Elder Sharif is given last chance by the court to appear before it on August 17, else proceedings to declare him an absconder will egin.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo has requested the court to nullify the accountability court’s decision to advertise his summons in the case.

The PML-N supremo maintained in his petition that the NAB is targeting the opposition to silence its voice.

The European Union (EU) and the Human Rights Watch (HRW) have declared the NAB actions illegal.

Nawaz Sharif requested the IHC to continue his trial through a representative as his medical treatment is ongoing abroad. He argued that he is not a fugitive and has gone abroad for medical treatment after obtaining bail from court.

On July 30, the NAB had decided to seize vehicles of former president Asif Ali Zardari and erstwhile prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif in Toshakhana case.

The NAB had filed a reference with the accountability court against the former heads of the state for not depositing luxury vehicles and valuable gifts received from the foreign leaders in the treasury.

NAB sources said that former president Asif Ali Zardari had only paid 15 per cent of the total cost of the vehicles received as gifts through fake accounts.

Zardari had received expensive cars as a gift from Libya and the UAE as president but did not deposit it in the Tosha Khana, the sources added.

Nawaz Sharif and Yousaf Raza Gillani had also received cars as a gift from different foreign leaders as prime ministers and used it themselves instead of depositing them in the treasury.