The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday threw out the applications filed against the auction of property belonging to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, saying these were inadmissible for hearing.
Pronouncing the verdict reserved in the case, a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq, rejected the three applications.
Notably, the IHC on Wednesday adjourned hearing on three petitions challenging the decision of Accountability Court (AC) regarding the confiscation and auction of the property owned by former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
The hearing of the case was adjourned without proceedings due to absence of IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah.
The petitioners prayed the court to annul the orders of accountability court for confiscation of property. They said the accountability court ignored the various facts while giving its verdict. The petitioners will be affected if the decision was not dismissed by this bench. The court should annul the decisions of the accountability court of October 1, 2020, April 2021 and June 2021.
According to the Toshakhana reference, former president Asif Ali Zardari had obtained luxury vehicles by paying only 15pc of the price of the vehicles.
Of three vehicles, he gifted a 1991 model Mercedes to Mr Sharif.
NAB alleged that former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani had facilitated the allotment of the vehicles to Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif by dishonestly and illegally relaxing the procedure for acceptance and disposal of gifts vide a Cabinet Division memorandum of 2007.
Accountability judge Syed Asghar Ali on April 22 directed the revenue authorities of the Punjab government to auction unclaimed properties of Mr Sharif within 60 days since he is absconding in Toshakhana reference while accepting the application filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
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The bureau in its application had sought directives for the authorities concerned to sell the attached properties of Mr Sharif under section 88 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
Three petitioners objected to the order of the district administration to auction three properties — a house at Lahore’s Upper Mall and two different agricultural lands measuring 88 kanals and 105 acres.