Sharif, Maryam to contest verdict; no bed, AC for ex-PM in jail
Islamabad, July 14 : Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, daughter Maryam and her husband have decided to appeal against the July 6 verdict by an anti-corruption court. They were convicted and jailed for owning properties disproportionate to their sources of income.
Nawaz Sharif's legal team was allowed to meet him briefly a day after he was shifted to Adiala jail on the outskirts of Rawalpindi.
Sources said the legal team was allowed to meet for only five minutes. The Saad Hashmi-led legal team went to Sharif to get the power of attorney signed so that an appeal could be filed in the Islamabad High Court, they added.
No bed, no AC has been provided to Sharif in Adiala, the team said, adding that a senior police official was present throughout the meeting. Sharif was not even given a newspaper to read, his bed was a mattress on the floor and the washroom at his disposal was in despicable conditions.
The appeal by Maryam Nawaz and her husband Safdar Awan which will be filed on July 16 was drafted on Saturday. Maryam's legal team was still in Adiala jail to get the power of attorney but was unable to file the appeal before the court hours ended. Court hours last till 1 p.m. during summer vacations.
The appeal -- that highlights the legal flaws in the Avenfield judgement -- asks for the accountability court's verdict to be declared null and void. It further pleads that the sentence of Safdar Awan be suspended till a decision on the appeal is reached.
Sharif and his political heir Maryam were arrested at the Lahore airport late on Friday as they returned to the country in an attempt to rally for their beleaguered party days before the July 25 polls.
High drama surrounded the arrests as the authorities blocked roads, shut off mobile and internet services and deployed thousands of security forces to thwart supporters of the Sharifs from reaching the airport.
The police have arrested at least 600 workers of Sharif's party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, citing security-related charges in the past several days.
Officials from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the anti-corruption watchdog, placed the Sharifs under arrest. Sharif was allotted a 'B' class category in the prison.
According to sources in the know of developments, the plan regarding Sharif and daughter's stay at the jail was amended thrice after which it was decided to allot him a 'B' class jail.
It was also decided to keep Maryam in Adiala jail's women's cell and not in Sihala rest house as suggested earlier.
The trial of two remaining NAB cases against the Sharifs will take place in the jail, according to a government notification.
Besides, the Sharifs will also be tried in cases pertaining to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment and offshore companies, including Flagship Investment Limited, inside the jail.
Meanwhile, the cabinet sub-committee also approved a request to put the three-time Prime Minister and his daughter on no-fly list.
The Sharifs have maintained that the cases are manufactured by their political foes and the country's powerful military.
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Putin in close contact with Gulf leaders to facilitate de-escalation: Kremlin
Moscow (PTI): Russian President Vladimir Putin is making all possible efforts to de-escalate the crisis in the Gulf and is in close contact with the regional leaders as Iran is retaliating with massive strikes on the US facilities and infrastructure on their territories, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
The US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran on Saturday, assassinating 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside family members, including his daughter and grandchildren. Since then, Iran has targeted multiple US bases in the surrounding Gulf States.
"Putin will certainly make every effort to facilitate at least a minor easing of tensions. In this regard, we discussed with virtually all of our interlocutors yesterday," the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"Taking advantage of the dialogue we maintain with the Iranian leadership, (President) Putin will convey his deep concern regarding the strikes on their infrastructure to our colleagues in Iran," he added.
According to the Kremlin, Putin spoke by telephone with leaders of Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
In his telephonic conversation with Crown Prince and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, Putin discussed the escalating situation in the region as a result of the American-Israeli armed aggression against Iran.
“Both sides expressed serious concern over the real risks of escalation of the conflict, which has already affected several Arab countries and is fraught with catastrophic consequences. In this context, Vladimir Putin underscored the urgent need to resolve the current extremely dangerous situation through political and diplomatic means,” the Kremlin said.
On Monday, Putin also had telephonic contacts with the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who currently chairs the Gulf Cooperation Council, Emir of the State of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“Exchange of views was held regarding the unprecedented escalation around Iran as a result of US and Israeli aggression, which is bringing the entire region to the brink of a full-scale war with unpredictable consequences. Sides underscored the need for a swift cessation of hostilities to prevent the situation from spiralling completely out of control and to return it to a political and diplomatic framework,” the Kremlin said.
The current developments, in particular, threaten the security of many Arab states with which Russia maintains friendly relations.
Given this, President Putin reaffirmed Russia's readiness to use all available means to actively contribute to stabilising the situation in the region, the Kremlin said, adding that contacts with the Gulf leaders will continue.
