The Islamabad High Court has adjourned hearing on the appeals of former prime minister and PML-N supremo Mian Nawaz Sharif against his conviction in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references until November 27, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
A special bench consisting of IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the case on Tuesday.
Nawaz Sharif's lawyers Amjad Pervaiz and Azam Nazir Tarar appeared in the court.
Azam Nazir Tarar said that they have prepared a sequence, they would first argue on the appeal of Avenfield reference, one case is Avenfield and the other is the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference.
Chief Justice asked him how much time he would need for arguments. On this, Amjad Pervaiz Advocate said that he would complete his arguments in two hearings.
But the chief justice remarked that just two hearings are not enough as the court wants to look into the entire two cases. He said that he remembers some of the facts of the cases but not the full details. He said that the court needs to look into the case in its entirety.
Tarar said he would try his best to finish his arguments in 4 to 6 hours.
Amjad Pervaiz said that he would try to finish his arguments in the shortest possible time.
Addressing the PML-N lawyers, Justice Miangul Hassan reminded them that they have to present their arguments in the Avenfield Apartments case and Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference.
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq remarked that no arguments have been presented in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills as it is totally different. He said that Nawaz Sharif’s appeal was dismissed due to his absence in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference.
The chief justice asked Amjad Pervaiz to forget about the Al-Azizia reference for the time being and present arguments only in the Avenfield Apartments case.
Then CJ Farooq asked the lawyers how much time they needed to complete arguments in the Avenfield case.
The NAB prosecutor replied that he needed just half an hour.
The chief justice then inquired of the watchdog’s prosecutor should we gather from it that the NAB has nothing to say in the case.
CJ Farooq then proposed to start the hearing of the case from next Monday (Nov 27). He said the hearing would start at 12:30 pm and the court would hear arguments for 2 to 2 ½ hours.
However, Azam Nazir Tarar requested the court to hold the case proceedings on a daily basis. He assured the court that they would not waste the court’s time. He further requested the court to look into the matter of fundamental rights of Nawaz Sharif.
The chief justice remarked the case proceedings could be held on a daily basis if need be. He further remarked that he would cancel the regular division bench hearings on that particular day when this case would be heard.
Saying this, the chief justice adjourned the hearing of the case and asked the lawyers to present their arguments on November 27.
When Nawaz Sharif left the High Court after the hearing, the PML-N workers raised slogans in favour of Nawaz Sharif outside the High Court.
It should be noted that Nawaz Sharif was sentenced by the accountability court in Al-Azizia and Avenfield references. Nawaz Sharif has challenged the decisions of the accountability court since 2018. The court reinstated Nawaz Sharif's appeals on his return to Pakistan from abroad last month.
Earlier, regarding Nawaz Sharif's appearance in the court, the Registrar’s Office of Islamabad High Court issued a circular defining rules and regulations. According to the circular, the IGP Islamabad was asked to ensure adequate security arrangements.
On the court’s direction, 1,500 law personnel performed security duty. CCTV cameras monitored the situation.
As per the circular, entry into courtroom number one was subject to security passes issued by the registrar's office, 15 lawyers from the petitioner's legal team and five lawyers from the attorney general, advocate general, and five government lawyers were allowed to enter the courtroom.
Thirty journalists of the Islamabad High Court Journalist Association were allowed to enter the courtroom. However, the employees of the Islamabad High Court were exempted from entry passes.
Reporter Rozina Ali