LAHORE, Aug 2: PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif has agreed to stand trial in an anti-terrorism court on murder charges provided he is summoned “without any further loss of time” through the Pakistani Embassy in the US.

During the course of arguments on an application for the confiscation of Mr Sharif’s properties, his spokesman, Farrukh Shah, appeared in the court and submitted a photocopy of a typed message bearing the signatures of PML-N president and showing his residential address as 100-Old Palisade Road, Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA.

Mr Shah informed the court that the original message had also been dispatched through an international courier, and it would reach the court by Monday. The court later received the same message on fax from the US.

The court had declared Mr Sharif a proclaimed offender on June 17 following his persistent absence from his trial on charges of getting five youths killed in Sabzazar in a fake police encounter five years ago. A former SHO, Babar Ashraf Ansari, was also declared a proclaimed offender in the case. The court had invited arguments from both sides on an application for the confiscation of absconders’ properties.

Mr Shahbaz claimed in the message that he would return to Pakistan in no time if he was allowed. “I do not need to abscond. How can I abscond when I am not allowed to be present. I request that the orders whereby I have been declared an absconder be recalled and instead, in the interest of justice, I be summoned without any loss of time through the Embassy of Pakistan in the US.”

It was further requested in the message that the government of Pakistan be instructed not to hinder his appearance in the court.

The PML-N president claimed that he had been forced out of the country by the then military regime through “emotional blackmail”. It was quite painful for him to realise that he was being denied his fundamental right to come back to Pakistan despite a major cancer surgery which had further intensified his desire of returning to the homeland.

While denying the charges levelled against him, Mr Sharif maintained that he had no formal information of the pendency of this case. He said that he could not have been declared a proclaimed offender without being served court summons on his current residential address.

He, however, added that he knew that an application had been filed for the confiscation of his property. He claimed that he was more concerned about defending his honour and dignity rather than saving his properties in Pakistan. “Sir, allow me to submit that defending my commitment to the service of my people with a welfare agenda is my overriding priority and to defend it I am anxious to face judicial proceedings.”

Prior to the receipt of Mr Shahbaz’s message, counsel for the complainant submitted that properties of both the absconders should be confiscated under Section 88 CrPC. The public prosecutor also supported the argument saying that it was legal practice on part of the courts to order attachment of absconders’ properties.

The counsel claimed that the message was not admissible as its original version had not yet been received.

The court fixed Aug 7 for arguments on the admissibility of Mr Sharif’s message.