ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court will take up on Monday (Jan 21) an appeal filed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif against his conviction in the Al-Azizia reference.

An accountability court on Dec 24 had handed Mr Sharif seven years in jail in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference, but acquitted him in a second reference related to Flagship Investments.

The court had also fined Mr Sharif Rs1.5 billion and $25 million in the Al-Azizia case.

A disqualification of 10 years from holding any public office is also part of the sentences awarded to the former premier. The disqualification will go into effect following his release from prison after seven years’ jail term.

According to the cause list for the next week, a division bench of the IHC comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Kiani will hear the appeal.

The same bench will also hear two separate appeals filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), one seeking increase in the sentence awarded to Mr Sharif in the Al-Azizia corruption case and the other challenging his acquittal in the Flagship Invest­ments case.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court on Monday issued a notice to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on a petition filed by former chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) Malik Tariq seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

Justice Amir Farooq of the IHC heard the plea for striking Mr Malik’s name off the ECL and adjourned the hearing for a week, issuing a notice to the FIA.

Mr Malik’s name was placed on the ECL in the previous PML-N government’s term in office for alleged concealment of his dual nationality.

In another related development, special judge of central Kamran Basharat Mufti, while rejecting the objections to the challan raised by anchorperson and former managing director of PTV Dr Shahid Masood, has fixed Feb 1 as the date for his indictment in the PTV corr­uption case.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2019