The Lahore High Court (LHC) Monday issued a notice to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz to submit her reply to the court in her bail cancellation case on April 7, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

A two-member bench of the LHC, comprising Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Asjad Javed Gharral heard the petition filed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal, seeking cancellation of PML-N leader’s bail.  

Deputy Prosecutor General Chaudhry Khaleequz Zaman and Syed Faisal Raza Bukhari represented the NAB in the case in which Maryam Nawaz and the Ministry of Interior have been made the respondents.  

When NAB’s counsel argued that Maryam, who was on bail in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, was misusing the concession of bail granted to her, Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar asked as to what he meant by that.

The counsel replied that she was constantly targeting the state institutions on mainstream and social media ever since she had been released on bail. “Not only that, she is even targeting the state,” he added.

He said the PML-N vice president had been issued a notice on January 10, 2020, in which she was asked to submit documents related to Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. “But Maryam paid no heed to the notice and did not provide the documents,” the counsel told the LHC.  

The prosecutor added that when she did not provide the required documents, she was summoned by the Bureau on August 11, 2020 to appear in person.

Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar asked as to what were other grounds on which the anti-corruption watchdog was seeking cancellation of PML-N vice president’s bail.

The judge further asked as to what was the reason for seeking the cancellation of Maryam’s bail when she was already on remand.

The prosecutor replied that she, along with her party activists, had attacked NAB, Lahore office in August 2020, and that her workers pelted police as well as the office with stones for which a case had to be registered separately.

Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar questioned as to why it did not occur to the Bureau to seek cancellation of Maryam’s bail then. “Why did it wait for six months for the purpose,” he asked.

The prosecutor told the court that since by not appearing before the NAB team, she was hindering the investigation into her case, her bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case should be cancelled.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Lahore had, on Saturday (March 13), filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC), seeking cancellation of the bail of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz.  

In the petition submitted to the LHC by the NAB prosecutor general, it had been stated that the PML-N vice-president, despite being on bail, was not cooperating with the Bureau teams which wanted to question her in connection with Chaudhry Sugar Mills’ and other references, and in view of this fact, her bail should be cancelled.

Maryam, who was incarcerated on money laundering charges in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills’ case, had been granted bail by the Lahore High Court in November 2019.