ISLAMABAD: PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz Sharif has alleged that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) supporters subjected her to intimidation, name-calling and harassment while she was looking after her ailing mother in London.

Talking to reporters after attending the hearing of an appeal against her conviction in the Avenfield reference on Thursday, Ms Sharif disclosed that three to four PTI activists continuously intimidated her and called her names while she was in London and was making frequent trips to the hospital to care for her ailing mother, Kulsoom Nawaz.

Saying that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s spouse was a “respectable lady”, she said his party should also respect others.

Some PTI workers even breached the hospital’s security to take photos of Ms Kulsoom, who was on her deathbed, she regretted, adding: “They had even assaulted my son and nephew.”

Maryam Nawaz pointed out that federal ministers of the incumbent government had used derogatory remarks against her during the Gilgit-Baltistan election campaign.

She went on to say that female journalists like Asma Shirazi, Gharida Farooqi, Sana Bucha, and even PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb have become victims of PTI’s propaganda campaigns.

Talking about the case at hand, Ms Sharif criticised the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for allegedly delaying the court’s proceedings on one pretext or another.

She pointed out that NAB had earlier sought a two-month adjournment since the prosecutor had tested positive for Covid-19 and now the bureau had requested another month-long adjournment because of the appointment of a new prosecutor in her case.

“I humbly submit before the judges that they should not prolong the proceedings since justice delayed is justice denied,” she said.

NAB was seeking adjournments because “it didn’t have an iota of proof”, she claimed.

Court proceedings

An IHC division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard the appeals of Ms Nawaz and her husband, Muhammad Safdar Awan, against their conviction in the Avenfield properties reference.

At the outset, newly appointed NAB prosecutor Azhar Siddique sought a four-week adjournment.

At this, Ms Nawaz’s counsel Irfan Qadir argued that since he had completed the arguments on the key evidence against his client — two letters from June 2012 written by the Financial Investigation Agency of the British Virgin Islands to law firm Mossack Fonseca and vice versa — NAB was required to respond to these particular arguments which could be done in a couple of days.

However, the bench observed that since the prosecutor needs time for preparation, the hearing could be adjourned for a month.

However, the bench was of the view that in the next hearing, the court might devise a strategy for swift disposal of the case and start hearings on a daily basis.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2022