In a significant development, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz, the sons of former prime minister and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, returned to Lahore from London on Tuesday after nearly seven years of self-imposed exile, family sources informed Express News.
The brothers arrived at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, where they were greeted by heightened security measures. Subsequently, they were escorted to Jati Amra, the residence of the Sharif family in Lahore, under tight security. PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif personally welcomed his sons at their ancestral home.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, also a key leader of the PML-N, met with her brothers upon their return. The brothers paid a visit to the grave of their mother, Kulsoom Begum, and recited Fatiha in her memory.
Last week, a trial court in Islamabad made a significant decision by suspending the permanent arrest warrants issued for Hassan and Hussain until March 14. Islamabad Accountability Court-I Judge Nasir Javed Rana issued this order during the hearing of petitions filed by the brothers through their advocate, Qazi Misbah.
Also read: Nawaz sons’ arrest warrants temporarily lifted
Hassan and Hussain were implicated in the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Avenfield case reference along with their father Nawaz Sharif, sister Maryam, and brother-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar. The accountability court had previously ordered the brothers to appear multiple times during the trial, but their non-appearance led to the court declaring them proclaimed offenders and issuing permanent arrest warrants.
The court’s decision to suspend the permanent arrest warrants for Hassan and Hussain comes amid a legal battle. Advocate Qazi Misbah argued that while the permanent arrest warrants were still in effect, other accused in the case, including Nawaz Sharif, Maryam, and Safdar, had been acquitted by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in an interesting turn of events in July 2017.
“Both Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz want to return to Pakistan on March 12 and appear in court. The execution of the permanent warrants should be delayed,” asserted Advocate Misbah during the hearing.
NAB prosecutor Sohail Arif, on the other hand, contended that according to the law, arrest warrants are suspended only when the accused appear in court. He emphasised that such warrants cannot be suspended without appearance.
In light of these arguments, the accountability court decided to suspend the permanent warrants for Hassan and Hussain until March 14, providing them with an opportunity to appear and address the legal proceedings in the Avenfield case reference.
