Sharif reaches Islamabad, to appear before court

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached Islamabad from Lahore on Monday to appear before the accountability court on Tuesday.

Sharif, along with daughter Maryam Nawaz and brother Shahbaz, will be holding a meeting at Punjab House to discuss the political strategy and course of action for the general elections in 2018.

Earlier on October 26, the accountability court hearing corruption references against the Sharif family issued bailable warrants against Sharif in two cases.

The hearing was then adjourned until November 3, with a last chance for the ex-PM to ensure his presence in the court.

The cases have been filed by NAB in light of the Supreme Court's July 28 order in the Panama Papers case.

The anti-graft body was given six weeks, from the date of the apex court's order, to file the reference in an accountability court while the accountability court was granted six months to wrap up the proceedings.

The references against the Sharif family pertain to the Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metals Establishment, their London properties and over a dozen offshore companies owned by the family.

If convicted, the accused may face up to 14 years imprisonment, lifelong disqualification from holding public office and the freezing of bank accounts and assets.

--IANS

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