Pakistan’s ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday appeared before an anti-corruption court for the second time in a week but his indictment was postponed till October 9 as his children, who are also been named in the high-profile Panama Papers case, failed to appear in court.
Sharif’s sons Hussain and Hassan and his daughter Maryam are co-defendants in the Panama Papers case and are currently in london with their mother Kalsum, who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.
Sharif, 67, got a brief reprieve when the Accountability Court decided to postpone his indictment till October 9.
Sharif and his children Hussain, Hassan and Maryam; and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar — are now expected to appear on October 9 to be formally indicted. Sharif could be jailed after the indictment.
Sharif had earlier appeared before the accountability court on September 26, a day after returning from london.
Sharif’s family has alleged that the cases against them are politically motivated. Earlier, amidst tight security, Sharif arrived at the court for the hearing in three graft cases against him and his family.
During the hearing, his lawyer Khawaja Haris argued that all of the accused in the case have to appear in
court before an indictment can take place.
Harris had contended that since Sharif’s children were in london to take care of their ailing mother, arrest warrants should not be issued.
But the court refused and issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the men and a bailable warrant for Maryam, likely keeping in mind that she may need to stay with her mother in london.
Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, a leader of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PMl-N), told the media after the hearing that last for more than an hour that the indictment has
been postponed.
“The indictment is still pending and it would be discussed at the next hearing on Monday (October 9),” he said.