A further legal triumph for the PML-N came on Monday when the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered Maryam Nawaz, the party’s vice president, to hand over her passport, which she had relinquished in exchange for her release on bail in a corruption case in 2019.
The PML-N leader complained to the LHC about the anti-graft body, claiming that despite the lack of a charge sheet or trial against her, she had been unable to exercise her constitutional rights for around four years.
She had begged the court to order the deputy registrar (judicial) to restore her passport in the interest of justice, arguing that she was in urgent need of travelling abroad to care for and get information on her ailing father.
The case was heard today by a three-judge panel of the LHC, which was presided over by Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti and included Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh.The NAB informed the court during the previous hearing that it was no longer in need of Maryam Nawaz’s passport, paving the door for its return.
The hearing today
The PML-N leader’s prior applications were brought up during the hearing by the high court. As a result of the present application, Maryam Nawaz’s attorney, Advocate Amjad Pervez, stated that they were no longer valid.In court, Parvez contended that her client was granted bail after giving over her passport.
The Chaudhry Sugar Mills case hasn’t had a reference filed in four years, he noted, adding that the circumstance would have been different had the NAB done so.
According to attorney Parvez, dragging out a lawsuit is equivalent to abusing the law. The courts dismiss cases without making a merit determination, he continued.
