ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was acquitted in the Avenfield reference by the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday, marking a significant legal win for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
In a noteworthy turn of events, the court not only acquitted Sharif but also dismissed the plea filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Flagship reference against the PML-N leader, following the accountability watchdog's withdrawal of the plea.
The verdict was delivered by a two-judge bench led by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and including Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb.
Speaking to the media outside the court, Sharif attributed the outcome to the divine, stating he had entrusted the matter to Almighty God, similar to his stance in the Al-Azizia reference.
PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, commenting on the high court’s decision, expressed on X, "When a person, despite facing injustice, entrusts their matters to Allah Almighty, He ensures their triumph in the eyes of the world. This stands as an example of it, praise be to Allah!"
Previously, the IHC had adjourned the hearing of appeals filed by Nawaz Sharif against the Al-Azizia and Avenfield references until Wednesday (Nov 29), led by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.
During the prior hearing, the court had requested arguments from both parties in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield references. Nawaz's lawyer sought four to six hours for presenting arguments, while NAB requested half an hour.
The court indicated its readiness to hear the case on a daily basis.
In July 2018, as the then-prime minister, Nawaz received a 10-year jail sentence in the Avenfield properties corruption reference for possessing assets beyond known income and an additional one-year term for non-cooperation with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), both to be served concurrently.
