Accountability Court Islamabad has adjourned the hearing of Avenfield reference against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members till Tuesday next.

Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir heard the case.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, and retired Captain Safdar appeared before the court today.

Prosecution witness and Head of JIT Wajid Zia recorded his statement and submitted before the accountability court the original Qatari letter.  

Land registry of Nelson and Nescol companies was also presented which made part of court record.

In an informal chat outside the accountability court, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that judicial reforms will be made part of PML-N's manifesto for the next general elections. He said the judicial reforms are need of the hour and the nation. Criticizing the politics of PPP and the PTI, he said the two parties are hoodwinking the masses.

Earlier, talking to the media persons, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is striving for the respect of vote.

In yesterday's hearing, Defence counsel Amjad Pervaiz also held that the entire report of joint investigation team [JIT] was not admissible as evidence in trial. He said that Supreme Court did not direct NAB to file reference on the basis of JIT report but on the basis of material collected by the team.

However, the Accountability Court judge Muhammad Bashir permitted Zia to only refer to the documents related to him that he had either authored or collected. The court however told him not to refer to the summaries, statements of the accused persons, opinion or conclusions as a part of the JIT report.

The counsel for Maryam Nawaz and her husband Muhammad Safdar contended before the court that JIT was recording statements of the accused persons and prosecution witnesses in audio and video, while the apex court in its order had clearly said that such statements could not be used by theprosecution.

While Wajid Zia recorded his statement in the court and produced the sale agreement of Gulf Steel Mill dated April 14, 1980 between Tariq Shafi and Abdullah Ahli. However, the court directed Zia to sit with the prosecution and arrange the sequence of the material evidence. The judge did not allow him to exhibit the statements under section 161 and asked the witness to only refer to the documents.

Zia also referred to the CMAs submitted by Sharif family in the Supreme Court and the material he collected.