Tag: Avenfield flats

  • Nawaz Sharif’s legal team all set to file protective bail

    Nawaz Sharif’s legal team all set to file protective bail

    Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s legal team is gearing up to file three petitions seeking protective bail in the Avenfield, Al-Azizia, and Toshakhana cases.

    These petitions are expected to be submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) as per sources of Dawn’s reporter Malik Asad.

    It is pertinent to mention that Nawaz Sharif is set to address a public gathering at Minar e Pakistan on October 21, after spending almost four years in the UK for his ‘medical treatment’.

    Nawaz Sharif had previously faced convictions in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references, along with being declared a proclaimed offender in the Toshakhana case, which is currently being heard in an accountability court in Islamabad. During his time abroad, he had been granted bail in these cases.

    The decision to approach the IHC for protective bail appears to have been influenced by prior instances where the court had granted protective bail to individuals who were declared proclaimed offenders, including Sharjeel Inam Memon, Arbab Alamgir, and Asma Arbab, without the requirement of surrender beforehand.

    Sources close to the proceedings disclosed that there would be at least two court hearings – one before Nawaz Sharif’s return and another where he would surrender himself before the court.

    Following this surrender, he would be required to pursue pending appeals against his convictions in the Avenfield Apartment and Al-Azizia references, as well as address the ongoing Toshakhana vehicle case.

    The Toshakhana case, previously put on hold under NAB amendments, was reopened following a Supreme Court ruling to revive corruption cases.

    In 2018, Nawaz Sharif was convicted in two cases – the Avenfield Apartments and Al-Azizia references. However, he was acquitted in the Flagship reference. The late Judge Arshad Malik, who presided over the Al-Azizia reference, later claimed to have authored the judgment under duress.

  • ‘Shehbaz Sharif will be at the forefront of the race for the slot of PM after Nawaz Sharif’: Rana Sanaullah

    ‘Shehbaz Sharif will be at the forefront of the race for the slot of PM after Nawaz Sharif’: Rana Sanaullah

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday said that the PML-N leadership, including Shehbaz Sharif, had authorised the party supremo Nawaz Sharif to make all decisions for the party, including the selection for the prime minister’s candidacy slot in the general elections of 2023. Maryam was talking to journalists after attending the hearing of her appeal by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the Avenfield Apartment reference on Tuesday.

    “Shehbaz Sharif is a fatherly figure, he is president of the PML-N, but the decision on his candidature is to be taken by the party leadership.”

    Her comments come after former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had announced that Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif will be PML-N’s candidate for prime minister in the general elections of 2023.

    “Shehbaz Sharif is our president and he will be our next candidate for prime minister,” said Khaqan.

    On the other hand, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah, while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, said that there is no doubt our workers chant slogans in the name of Nawaz Sharif.

    “If Nawaz Sharif is not available, or does not want to become prime minister then the senior-most member next to Mian Nawaz Sharif is Mian Shehbaz Sharif Sahab.”

    Rana Sanaullah while talking about the disqualification cases against Maryam Nawaz said that even if the cases against her end, Shehbaz Sharif will be at the forefront of the race.

    On being asked if Maryam Nawaz has political ambitions and will she support someone else in the race, Rana said that once a name is announced by the leadership, everyone will fully support the candidate.

  • Broadsheet ends up paying £20,000 to Sharifs in London lawsuit

    The company hired by Pakistan to trace assets of the Sharif family in London, Broadsheet LLC, has ended up paying £20,000 (Rs4.5 million or Rs45 lacs) to the Sharifs in the lawsuit before the London High Court, Geo News reported.

    According to reports, Broadsheet has made the payment for the settlement of the Sharif family’s legal costs after having withdrawn the Avenfield Apartments attachment application for the seizure and sale of four Avenfield Apartments in the Broadsheet vs Pakistan/National Accountability Bureau (NAB) case.

    Lawyers acting for the Sharif family have confirmed that the payment has been received in their bank account whereas Broadsheet’s lawyers have also confirmed making the payment.

    Sharing the development on Twitter, Maryam said those who had gone to identify corruption, ended up paying Rs4.5 million to save themselves.

    “Nawaz Sharif had left it up to Allah,” she tweeted, adding that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and his team will also have to “pay their fines” that will be from their own pockets and not the treasury.

  • ‘Won’t deny Nawaz met establishment officials from UK, US’

    ‘Won’t deny Nawaz met establishment officials from UK, US’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah has said that he won’t deny former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with officials from establishments of the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US).

    The former premier had last month held a meeting with a “mystery man” at his London residence. PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif had brought the man for a meeting with his elder brother Nawaz. The man, who had covered his face, had held a meeting with Nawaz for around 40 minutes until he was guided out the back door of Avenfield Apartments.

    A British journalist of Pakistani origin had, however, recorded a video of the mysterious visitor who didn’t utter a word in response to any questions asked about the meeting. With the video making headlines, speculations regarding the person’s identity had run rife.

    “I won’t deny these meetings. I am not in a position to comment as I have no permission of the party for it,” Sanaullah said when asked about such reports as he spoke to journalists outside the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday.

    “Shehbaz Sharif intends to return home in March,” he further said, adding that the PML-N president would return after the cardiac surgery of ailing ex-PM and his brother Nawaz in London.

    To another question, the PML-N leader said a legal team was holding consultations for extension in bail term of Nawaz as he seeks medical treatment abroad despite jail term after conviction in a corruption case against him.

  • ‘PTI’ supporters in London raise slogans ‘to shoot Nawaz dead’

    A group of alleged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters held a protest outside the Avenfield flats in London, where they raised slogans to shoot former premier Nawaz Sharif and attempted to break down the main gate, The News International reported.

    According to the details, around 40 protesters, led by Tariq Mehmood who runs a group called ‘Pakistan Patriotic Front’, raised slogans in support of the ruling PTI and many were wearing PTI caps.

    Reports claim that many of the protesters who were present outside Avenfield flats are seen often at the PTI protests earlier, but the party’s elected body has issued a statement distancing itself from the protest.

    One of the protesters can be heard shouting in the video that “some shoot him” in reference to former prime minister’s presence on the third floor in Avenfield flats and slogans for Taliban style bombing of the Avenfield apartments were also made during the protest.

    Video footage from the protest also shows at least three protesters banging the front gate in order to break down while two protesters entered premises from the side entrance and they were asked by the police to come out.

    Ahead of Nawaz’s arrival, elected senior official of PTI in United Kingdom (UK) Soraya Aziz had issued a similar call for violence on Twitter.

    Soraya Aziz, who is head of Computing at the Beths Grammar School in Bexley, Kent had wrote, “For his own safety, I strongly recommend Nawaz Sharif not leave his Avenfield apartments. If he’s seen shopping in Knightsbridge, overseas Pakistanis will give him response even his few remaining platelets won’t know where to hide!!”.

    Soraya later deleted her Tweet.

    Meanwhile, PTI’s Information Secretary London Taqveem Ahsan Siddiqui, in a statement issued on Sunday had said, “The PTI has not called for any demonstration outside disqualified former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s residence.”

    “It has been brought to our attention that an invite to demonstrate outside his residence is in circulation. PTI UK does not have any intention to call or join any demonstration outside Nawaz Sharif’s residence until he abides by his bail condition”, Taqveem added.

    Former premier Nawaz is in London for a medical check-up after the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted him exemption on medical grounds. The court had earlier directed Nawaz to return to Pakistan after four weeks.