An accountability court is likely to indict Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz, among others in the money laundering and illegal assets reference in the next hearing.
At the outset of the hearing, a prosecutor of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had submitted copies of statements of its four approvers before the court, reported Dawn.
Presiding Judge Jawadul Hassan directed Sharif to receive the copies of the statements and asked his counsel about the time he needed to prepare for framing of the charges.
Sharif stated his name was not mentioned in the statements of the approvers recorded before the magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC.
He had also complained to the judge that he had not been provided with the facility of physiotherapy in the jail despite permission granted by the court.
According to Dawn, the judge also dismissed an application of Nusrat, Sharif's wife, seeking permanent exemption from personal appearance in the trial on health reasons. The defence counsel had argued that Nusrat was out of the country for her medical treatment.
Meanwhile, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz reached the judicial complex to meet her uncle and cousin Hamza as the party claimed she had not been allowed to visit them in the jail.
Responding to the journalists, she condemned the authorities for bringing the opposition leaders to the court in the APCs saying the government was scared of democratic leaders, according to Dawn.
She further stated that the government would reap what it was sowing.
Earlier, jail officials produced the duo before the court in two separate Armoured Personnel Vehicles (APCs) while strict security measures had been taken by the police outside the judicial complex.
In September, Sharif was arrested in a money laundering case from the Lahore High Court, according to Gulf News.
NAB officials took him into custody from the premises after his bail plea was rejected on account of alleged money-laundering and maintaining assets beyond known sources of income, it added.
Last year, Sharif and his son were on indicted in connection with the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.
NAB had then alleged that Sharif misused his post as the former Punjab chief minister to build a bridge amounting to rupees five hundred million to facilitate the Ramzan mills.
( With inputs from ANI )
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