Maryam refuses to be shifted to Sihala rest house: sources

By
Ayaz Akbar Yousafzai
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ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz has refused to be shifted to the rest house at Police College Sihala, sources informed Geo News.

The former premier and his daughter, who were convicted in the Avenfield properties reference, were arrested upon their arrival in Lahore on July 13 and subsequently taken to the Central Jail in Adiala, Rawalpindi, and have since been there.

The Islamabad chief commissioner has already declared the rest house as a sub-jail to keep the two political figures when they returned to the country.

Maryam has told the authorities that she would prefer to stay at the Adiala Jail with his husband and father.

The jail administration wants to shift the former premier’s daughter to the rest house as the jail lacks facilities for female prisoners. 

Meanwhile, the jail administration completed their arrangements to shift Maryam to the Adiala Jail in the last three days. Sources informed that Rs2 million were spent by the authorities on the arrangements.

Nawaz was sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison and slapped a £8 million fine (Rs1.3 billion) while Maryam was sentenced to eight years with a £2 million fine (Rs335 million). Moreover, Maryam's husband, Capt (retd) Safdar, was sentenced to one year in prison.

The trial and references

The trial against the Sharif family had commenced on September 14, 2017 after NAB filed the Avenfield, Al Azizia and Flagship references.

On July 6, after four extensions in the original six-month deadline to conclude all three cases, the court announced its verdict in the Avenfield reference.

Nawaz was sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison and slapped a £8 million fine (Rs1.3 billion) while Maryam was sentenced to eight years with a £2 million fine (Rs335 million). Moreover, Maryam's husband, Capt (retd) Safdar, was sentenced to one year in prison.

Nawaz and his sons, Hussain and Hasan, are accused in all three references whereas Maryam and Safdar were 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.