Nawaz Sharif appears before NAB court in connection with corruption references

Ousted Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif appeared before a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court here on Tuesday in connection with the three corruption-related references.

Accompained by several Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, including federal ministers, the former premier arrived in court for the proceedings, but was allowed to leave after a few minutes.

Sharif has now left for Punjab House in Islamabad, where he is expected to chair a meeting of senior PML-N officials later in the day.

Sharif's Political Secretary Asif Kirmani told reporters outside Punjab House that the former prime minister would hold a press conference.

Kirmani said that Sharif has presided over several informal meetings and consulted senior party leaders, as well as members of his legal team to devise strategies to deal with legal and political challenges facing the party, the Dawn has reported.

Though Sharif and his children have publicly expressed concern over the Supreme Court judgement and had filed review petitions before the same bench, the petitions were all dismissed on September 15.

The NAB had filed three references against the Sharif family in connection with the London properties, the establishment of 16 companies, including Flagship Investment Ltd in the UK and Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment in Jeddah.

Earlier, sources in the PML-N told Dawn that the counsel for Sharif's sons would ask the court to exempt his clients from personal appearance since they were looking after Kulsoom Nawaz.