LAHORE: The process to formally declare Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supreme leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his nephew Salman Shahbaz absconders in two separate references of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) started with the issuance of proclamations on the directives of two accountability courts here on Saturday.

The notice of proclamations, issued under Section 87 of the Criminal Procedure Code, has been pasted on the court’s premises as well as the residences of the suspects in Lahore.

On the last hearing of the references, the courts had approved the process to declare the suspects absconders after they failed to attend the proceedings against them.

Reference against ex-PM also involves Jang Group editor-in-chief

In a case of illegal land allotment also involving Jang Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakilur Rehman, presiding judge Asad Ali had ordered the NAB Lahore director general to start the process under Section 87 of the CrPC against Mr Sharif for his constant non-appearance before the court. In light of the reports about service of arrest warrants on Nawaz Sharif, the judge observed the court was satisfied that the suspect was deliberately hiding himself to avoid execution of the warrants.

According to the court orders in both references against Mr Sharif and Mr Salman, the proclamations were to be read in conspicuous places of residential address of the suspects where they used to live in Pakistan in addition to pasting the same on the property. A copy of the proclamations would also be affixed to some prominent part of the court premises.

The proclamation against Mr Salman was ordered by presiding judge Jawadul Hassan in a money laundering and illegal assets reference against the family of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, who is already in the NAB custody on physical remand.

The NAB is expected to submit its compliance reports about the issuance of the proclamations against Nawaz Sharif and Salman Shahbaz on Oct 15 and Oct 13, respectively, before the respective courts.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2020