LHC rejects govt, NAB stance, hearing today.

Byline: Jamil Ahmed

KARACHI -- The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday admitted a plea filed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) challenging the government's condition of furnishing indemnity bonds in order to secure the 'one-time' permission for ailing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to go abroad for medical treatment. The court had reserved its judgement on the admissibility of the petition in the afternoon. After declaring the plea as maintainable, the LHC initially summoned lawyers from both sides to present arguments on the merits of the petition on Monday. However, upon request from PML-N's lawyers, the court fixed the next hearing of the petition for 11:30am today (Saturday). Earlier, in its 45-page reply submitted in the LHC, the federal government had opposed the request seeking unconditional permission for Nawaz Sharif to go abroad, stating that the LHC does not have the jurisdiction to hear this petition. The government requested the court to reject the petition as non-maintainable. The government also informed that it has allowed the former prime minister to travel abroad for four weeks and the ex-premier's name was added to the ECL on the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) recommendation. At the outset of the hearing, PML-N's counsel Amjad Pervaiz presented copies of court orders in similar cases.

'There are many court verdicts that vindicate our stance,' he said, adding that example of the removal of former military dictator Pervez Musharraf's name is in front of everyone. On this, Justice Ali Baqir Najafi said Nawaz Sharif's case has no link with Musharraf's case as the latter was not convicted. Advocate Amjad replied that supermodel Ayan Ali, who was jailed in connection with money laundering case, was also...