Sirajul Haq's remarks on Senate chairman's election meaningful: Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq's recent statement regarding the election of the Senate chairman should be pondered over.

Haq had recently claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf cast its votes for the Senate chairman last month after "orders from the top". 

"Imran should also ask himself on whose orders his party gave votes in the election," said Nawaz, adding that will the people who practice un-principled politics bring 'change'?

The former premier also challenged the PTI chief to own his vote for the Pakistan Peoples Party and also inform the public how the party's candidate Chaudhry Sarwar bagged a Senate seat from Punjab. 

Corruption proceedings 

The three-time premier made the comments while talking to reporters inside the accountability court hearing three corruption references against him and his family today.

Nawaz and his family are facing three corruption cases in the accountability court after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed references against them in light of the Supreme Court's verdict in the Panama Papers case.

As Judge Mohammad Bashir began the proceedings, the hearing of the Al Azizia reference was adjourned until tomorrow owing to the unavailability of Wajid Zia, the Panama case JIT head who was expected to record his statement in the reference today.

Zia has earlier recorded his statement and been cross-examined in the Avenfield reference. 

The hearing of the Avenfield case resumed at 2pm on Monday. 

NAB Director General Operations Zahir Shah in his statement during the hearing informed the court that he received new documents in relation to the London flats through Pakistan High Commission representative in United Kingdom, Usman Ahmed .

He presented council tax and water bills of the Avenfield apartments to the court.

Nawaz's counsel Khawaja Haris maintained that the NAB witness is manipulating the court and requested the court to record his statements. 

During the hearing, Shah said that he wrote in his report that he didn’t send any request for mutual legal assistance (MLAs), apart from Volume X of the JIT report. 

He said that he saw there were two types of MLAs in Volume X; few of which have been responded to, he added.

Shah said that from 1993-95, the Avenfield properties were owned by Nielson and Nescol offshore companies. 

He said that the UK Central Authority's document on the real and beneficial owner of Avenfield flats doesnt include the name of members of Sharif family, adding that the names of people who received and sent the documents have been blacked out.

Shah said that the documents were received on a request sent by the NAB on May 27, 2017.

Maryam Nawaz's counsel, Amjad Pervaiz, will question NAB's witness tomorrow.  

Earlier today, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers welcomed Nawaz and Maryam at the airport earlier today after the father-daughter duo reached Islamabad from London. 

Speaking to the media upon his arrival in the federal capital, Nawaz requested for prayers for his wife Begum Kulsoom's good health.

Maryam, before departure from London, had posted a message on Twitter saying that the two will attend the court hearing if their exemption request is denied — which it was. 

The two had reached London Wednesday night to visit the ex-premier's wife, Kulsoom, who is undergoing treatment for cancer here.

The cases

The trial against the Sharif family had commenced on September 14, 2017.

NAB to file three supplementary references against Nawaz

The corruption references, filed against the Sharifs, pertain to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment, offshore companies including Flagship Investment Ltd, and Avenfield properties of London.

Nawaz and sons Hussain and Hasan are accused in all three references whereas his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Safdar are accused in the Avenfield reference only.

The two brothers, based abroad, have been absconding since the proceedings began last year and were declared proclaimed offenders by the court.