LAHORE, Nov 30: Former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif has filed a reply before an anti-terrorism court, challenging the order on his status as a proclaimed offender in the Sabzazar shootout case.

Shahbaz said he was declared a proclaimed offender after he was issued with a notice in his absence.

He said he could not have appeared before court because he was in exile.

Shahbaz reply came in response to an application which seeks his arrest and an injunction against his election.

Complainant Saeeduddin, through his counsel Aftab Bajwa, told court that Shahbaz had already been declared PO in a case of fake police encounter.

The lawyer said the accused should not be allowed to participate in the general election as the court had already issued his “perpetual arrest warrants” days before Sept 10, when he was to arrive in Islamabad with his elder brother Nawaz Sharif.

The complainant said that police had killed his son on the order of Shahbaz Sharif, the then chief minister.

Mr Bajwa said the court’s order of arrests was still valid and needed to be fulfilled in letter and spirit.

The case will come up for hearing on Saturday (today).

Nawaz: The returning officer of NA-120 on Thursday provided the counsel for Nawaz Sharif with the copy of objection to his candidature and put off the case till Dec 3 for final hearing.

The RO provided copies to Naseer Ahmad Bhutta, the counsel for the former prime minister, after he sought the document filed by Khwaja Tahir Zia, also an aspirant for contesting polls from NA-120.

Zia contended that Nawaz Sharif could not contest elections because he was convicted of hijacking the plane carrying Gen Pervez Musharraf back home and evading taxes on a helicopter purchase. Mr Sharif was awarded life term in the hijacking case in 2000 and an accountability court sentenced him to 14-year jail and debarred him from holding public office for 21 years in tax-evading case.—Reporter