An accountability court in Islamabad has recently made a significant decision regarding the perpetual arrest warrants issued for PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s two sons, Hassan and Hussain, in the Al-Azizia, Flagship, and Avenfield cases.
The court suspended the perpetual arrest warrants on Thursday, marking a notable development in the ongoing legal saga. Hassan and Hussain, alongside Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam, and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar, were named as accused in the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Avenfield case reference.
Previously, the accountability court had repeatedly summoned Hassan and Hussain to appear during the trial proceedings. However, due to their non-appearance, the court declared them proclaimed offenders and issued permanent arrest warrants against them.
In a recent court appearance before accountability Judge Javed Rana, Hassan and Hussain marked their attendance. The court also requested records from NAB regarding pending cases against the two.
During the proceedings, the counsel representing the younger Sharifs requested the court to postpone the hearing to the following day (March 15). Subsequently, the court directed Hassan and Hussain to submit surety bonds worth Rs50,000 each and adjourned the hearing accordingly.
After the court appearance, Hussain spoke to the media, expressing his dismay over what he described as a saga of political revenge against them, which began on October 12. He highlighted his previous arrest and imprisonment for several months, emphasizing the changes he perceives in NAB.
Responding to a journalist’s inquiry about a fair trial for PTI founder Imran Khan, Hussain stressed that everyone has the right to a fair trial.
Notably, Hassan and Hussain, who had been declared absconders in the NAB cases, returned to Pakistan on March 12 after seven years, following the suspension of their arrest warrants by an accountability court.
The warrant suspension followed a decision by the Islamabad court on March 8, which revoked the obligation for both brothers to appear in court, a status that had persisted for seven years.
Upon their return, Hassan and Hussain landed at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, where they were promptly escorted under tight security to Jati Umra, the ancestral home of the family.
