The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday accepted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's petition seeking the earliest possible date for scheduling a hearing on his appeal against the Al-Azizia reference verdict. A two-member divisional bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard the former prime minister's supplementary petition requesting the court to hear his plea against the seven-year jail term awarded to him in the Al-Azizia reference at the earliest.

After a delay in the hearing of the petition earlier on Wednesday due to the absence of Nawaz's Counsel Khawaja Haris, the court accepted his request and instructed the registrar's office to fix a date within 10 days for hearing Nawaz's plea.

An accountability court on December 24 had found the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader guilty in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference and sentenced him to seven years in prison.

Nawaz had filed an appeal against the punishment and also submitted a petition seeking suspension of the sentence. On Tuesday, the former premier petitioned IHC to schedule a hearing of his appeal at the earliest possible date. Earlier on Tuesday, the PML-N supermo had filed a petition through his counsel at the IHC seeking early hearing of his appeal in the Al-Azizia case.

Khawaja Haris, counsel of the former PM, filed an appeal with the IHC. It reads: "The writ petition No. 32/2019 pertains to the suspension of sentence of the appellant and his release on bail pending final decision of the titled Appeal. It is requested that the writ petition be fixed at an early date." He further said that transparent trial was the right of every Pakistani.

Nawaz Sharif was imprisoned for seven years in the Al-Azizia case; however, he was acquitted of all charges in the Flagship Investment reference. Earlier, the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday released an order on former PM's plea stating that the writ petition filed by Nawaz Sharif requesting bail in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case, will be heard along with his first appeal challenging the court verdict in the case.

Sharif has requested that his sentence be suspended until the final verdict in his appeal challenging the case is announced. The former PM is currently incarcerated at Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore, serving his seven-year sentence in the Al-Azizia case.

Already disqualified for holding public office, Nawaz Sharif was, however, acquitted of all charges in the Flagship Investment case. The former premier was arrested by a NAB team soon after the verdict was announced.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019