The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday accepted a petition moved by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to club together three separate accountability references pending against him, ordering an accountability court which had dismissed the request earlier to consider the case again.

In doing so, the IHC set aside the October 19 decision of the accountability court to turn down the petition.

Sharif's lawyer, Azam Nazir Tarar, said today that the accountability court had not provided any reasoning for the rejection of Sharif's earlier petition; therefore, the IHC should set the accountability court's decision aside.

Sharif had, in his petition to the IHC, asked the court to direct the accountability court to frame joint charges and conduct a single trial against the Sharif family, instead of holding three separate trials.

In a previous hearing, Sharif's lawyer had also informed the bench that this was the first time that more than one reference had been filed in a case concerning the possession of assets beyond one`s means when the series of transactions was the same.

The IHC asked Sharif to file a fresh application with the accountability court, which was directed to re-hear the application and give a detailed verdict on the matter.

Sharif, his children and son-in-law are facing three NAB references against them relating to Flagship Investments and other off-shore companies, their Avenfield Properties and the Al-Azizia Company.

The ousted prime minister arrived in Islamabad from London today and is expected to appear before an accountability court on Friday.