LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) pasted two notices on the main gate of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s Jati Umra residence on Friday, restraining him from selling the residential property and summoning him to appear before Islamabad’s accountability court on Sept 26.

“Your attendance is necessary to answer the charges and you are hereby required to appear in person before the accountability court No 1 Islamabad (Federal) Judicial Complex on Sept 26 at 9am,” reads one of the two notices addressed to Mr Sharif.

An official requesting anonymity told Dawn that the second notice was meant to restrain the ex-PM from selling his residence. He added that the notices were pasted on the main gate by NAB officials who visited the Jati Umra residence on Friday and introduced themselves as such to the security guards present there.

He said NAB had also sent copies of the notice restraining the ex-PM from selling his property to the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department, the Lahore Development Authority, the Defence Housing Authority, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the Lahore deputy commissioner. NAB directed the heads of these departments to ensure implementation of the court orders in letter and spirit, he said.

Similarly, the official said, NAB had dispatched a separate copy of the notice to all banks in the country.

The accountability court of Islamabad has, so far, made little headway in the three corruption references filed by NAB against Mr Sharif and members of his family as no one from the family appeared in court on Sept 19 in response to the summons issued to them. It appears as if the move to post notices in front of Mr Sharif’s Raiwind residence is meant to expedite the case. NAB has attached all moveable and immovable property of the ousted PM and his family members.

A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court on July 28 had directed NAB to file references against Mr Sharif and his children within six weeks in the accountability court, which was asked to decide the references in six months. The apex court also appointed Justice Ijazul Ahsan as a supervisory judge to monitor the trial court’s proceedings.

In a related development, NAB’s Lahore office sent a notice to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar at his Islamabad and Lahore residences on Thursday night, restraining him from selling his movable and immovable properties. He is accused of possessing assets disproportionate to his declared sources of income.

The Sharif family and Mr Dar are currently present in London where Mr Sharif’s wife, Kulsoom, is undergoing treatment for lymphoma.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2017