The legal team of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Leader Nawaz Sharif has filed protective bail applications in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on behalf of their client.
Sharif is set to return to Pakistan on October 21 and aims to appear before the court in ongoing graft cases.
The Islamabad High Court, presided over by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, conducted a hearing on Sharif’s bail plea.
The court issued a notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), responding to Sharif’s petitions seeking protective bail in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield references.
These references stem from convictions in 2018, where Sharif was sentenced to 10 and seven years in prison, respectively, by an accountability court.
The appeals against these convictions were dismissed by the IHC bench due to non-compliance after Sharif traveled to London for medical treatment with the court’s permission in November 2019.
Sharif’s lawyer, Amjad Pervez, requested the IHC bench to grant protective bail, emphasizing Sharif’s intention to surrender before the court upon his return.
The court, noting that the appeals were rejected on technical grounds declared Sharif a proclaimed offender when he did not return to pursue the case after his medical treatment.
The legal proceedings have taken a complex turn, with Sharif’s protective bail applications seeking to prevent his arrest upon arrival in the country.
Sharif’s sentence in the Al-Azizia reference was suspended in 2019 by the Lahore High Court on medical grounds, allowing him to seek treatment in London, after which he did not return. A separate bail petition has also been filed in connection with the Toshakhana case.
