Safdar arrested, Hussain and Hassan declared as proclaimed offenders
Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau team took former army captain Muhammad Safdar into custody minutes after his arrival from London at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport.
A team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) took former army captain Muhammad Safdar into custody minutes after his arrival from London at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport along with his wife Maryam Nawaz.
Safdar has been nominated by NAB in one of three corruption cases filed on September 8 against Pakistan’s former premier Sharif, his daughter Maraym, sons Husain and Hasan and his son-in-law Safdar.
The couple had arrived to appear before an anti-graft tribunal in connection with the NAB reference pertaining to London properties owned by the Sharif family. Safdar was later presented before a court in Islamabad, NAB officials said. Maryam, who was not detained, separately appeared in the same court for the first time.
The accountability court granted bail to Maryam Nawaz and her husband Safdar, while declaring Sharif’s sons Hassan and Hussain proclaimed offenders for constantly ignoring the court’s summons.
During the hearing, PML-N leader Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry submitted surety bonds worth Rs 5 million on behalf of Maryam Nawaz as directed by Judge Mohammad Bashir. The judge also provided a copy of the reference — spread over 53 volumes — to Maryam and Safdar. After hearing arguments from the prosecution, the court accepted bail of both Maryam and her husband Safdar. The judge ordered NAB authorities to release Safdar after he too submitted surety bonds worth Rs5 million.
Action against Hussain and Hassan
The court also issued perpetual warrants for the brothers, and separated their trial from other members of the family. The process to declare Hussain and Hassan Nawaz as proclaimed offenders will involve publication of notices in the newspapers directing the accused to appear in court. Failure to do so will result in seizure of property and issuance of further warrants. The court also recorded the statements of three investigating officers of the NAB. The hearing was adjourned until October 13, when members of the Sharif family will be indicted.
Meanwhile, in a TV interview, Hassan Nawaz said that the court cannot declare him a proclaimed offender. Hassan claimed that he has not received any NAB summons at his residential address in London where he has been living for last 24 years. The former prime minister’s son said he is a British citizen and has never received the said summons according to British laws.
Hassan termed NAB’s actions an exercise that is nothing more than political victimisation and an effort to make ‘news headlines’. He said he has not committed any crime which could make him an absconder and has never fled from the country.
The proceeding….
A five-member SC bench on July 28 had directed NAB to file references against Nawaz and his children in six weeks in the accountability court and directed the trial court to decide the references within six months. The SC also assigned Justice Ijazul Ahsan a supervisory role to monitor the progress of the accountability court proceedings.
The former premier and his sons have been named in all three NAB references, while Maryam and husband Safdar have been named only in the Avenfield reference.
The trial court judge has already decided that in case the children of Nawaz Sharif do not join the proceedings, the court would indict Sharif alone and start his trial separately.
On Oct 2, the accountability court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Sharif’s sons — Hussain and Hassan Nawaz — and son-in-law Capt Safdar for failing to appear in court. The judge, however, did not issue non-bailable warrants for Maryam but repeated the bailable arrest warrants after the counsel for Sharif assured the court that she and her spouse would join the proceedings on the next date of hearing on October 9.