The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the legal representatives of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to assist the court in the next hearing on the question of whether a review petition filed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo against his surrender can still be entertained after he was declared a proclaimed offender by an accountability court in the Toshakhana reference.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Mohsin Akhtar Kayani took up the plea by the former prime minister against his conviction in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield cases. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) asked the court to direct the interior and foreign secretaries to proceed against Nawaz as per law. The Bureau also submitted a copy of the accountability court order, declaring the former prime minister a proclaimed offender.

“Nawaz Sharif’s bail should be cancelled and his arrest should be allowed,” the NAB counsel argued in the court, recalling that the IHC had only suspended the former prime minister’s sentence in the Avenfield reference. “In the last hearing, the matter was only related to the term of the bail (granted to Nawaz). Now, he has been declared a proclaimed offender by a court,” observed Justice Aamer Farooq.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/712910-nawaz-will-have-to-surrender-before-further-proceedings-ihc