Nawaz withdraws plea against accountability court’s summons

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on Thursday withdrew the petition filed with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against an accountability court’s orders to summon him in the Toshakhana reference were challenged, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The move came after a two-member IHC bench headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah sought the record of the bail granted to the former prime minister.

During the hearing on Monday, the IHC had questioned bail to Nawaz Sharif and also asked about the status of cases against him. Later, the court ordered the authorities to share the relevant record.

Earlier, Nawaz moved the IHC last week against the accountability court’s orders to appear in person and issuing public notices as part of the process to declare him an absconder,

The accountability court had issued these orders in the Toshakhana (Treasure House) reference in which Nawaz and former president Asif Ali Zardari are among the accused.

In the petition, it was argued that the National Accountability Court (NAB) had been harassing and targeting Nawaz and his family without any reason. Through a public notice/ad, the accountability court has given him the last chance to appear in person on August 17 after which he would be declared an absconder.

Requesting the IHC to declare the accountability court’s orders null and void, the petition said the NAB wanted to silence the opposition by targeting them.

Nawaz also argued through the petition that the European Union and the Human Rights Watch have already described the actions taken by NAB as baseless and illegal.

The petition also made it clear that Nawaz wasn’t an absconder and had left the country for medical treatment after obtaining bail from a court.

Therefore, the petitioner said, he should be allowed to face the trial through his legal counsel as he was out of the country because of the fact that his treatment had been in progress.

On the other hand, the accountability court on Tuesday ordered the seizure of vehicles of Zardari and Nawaz on a request made by the NAB.

The court froze Zardari’s ownership of three vehicles – two BMWs and one Lexus car. The ownership of one Mercedes owned by Nawaz Sharif was also seized.