Maryam demands commission of independent judges probe Nawaz's conviction

PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz Sharif, while reacting to the death of former accountability judge Arshad Malik on Friday, demanded that an independent judicial commission conduct a probe into former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's conviction.

"Arshad Malik has passed away a year-and-a-half after his confessions and revelations. Who can be held responsible for the failure since one-and-a-half year to provide Nawaz Sharif justice?" she wrote.

Maryam went on to ask why in the case in which the government "was in a hurry" to declare Nawaz an absconder, even after the judge "confessed" to the events that preceded his verdict, was not a single day's hearing held over the matter?

The PML-N leader said that the former judge "has gone where we all have to go one day". She said God had enabled him to "seek forgiveness from Nawaz Sharif" before leaving this world and to "shed the burden (of his decision) from his conscience".

"He let it be known who had blackmailed him into declaring a false verdict and who had used him," she added.

Maryam went on to say that now that the man who had "confessed and made revelations" is no more, this demand "will gain traction" that a commission of independent and courageous judges investigate the matter "so the people may know the truth".

"And that day is not far. InshaAllah this will happen!" she wrote.

Arshad Malik passes away

Former accountability court judge Arshad Malik passed away due to coronavirus on Friday.

The ex-judge was receiving treatment at a private hospital in Islamabad for the past few days.

He is survived by two sons and two daughters.

Malik had convicted former premier Nawaz Sharif in the Al Azizia and Hill Metal corruption references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) following the Supreme Court's panamagate verdict. He acquitted Nawaz in the Flagship reference.

In July 2019, PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz had released video and audio clips in which she had claimed Malik was allegedly confessing that he convicted Nawaz under 'duress'.