Nawaz’s defence urges court to take notice of info minister’s remarks

–Info Minister Fawad Chaudhry reiterates former PM will go to prison, so will 50 more people 

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s lawyers Khawaja Haris and Zubair Khalid on Friday asked Accountability Judge Arshad Malik to take notice of Minister of Information Fawad Chaudhry’s remarks on the Hill Metal Establishment case, in which the minister had stated that Nawaz “would go to prison again”.

At the outset of Friday’s hearing on the references against the former PM, Haris said that the court should take action against “the minister giving statements about you [the court] and Nawaz Sharif’s arrest. This falls in your jurisdiction and you should take action against it”.

He added: “If action is not taken against this, it would create problems for the court.”

To this, Judge Malik said: “Was Chaudhry’s statement general or was it a statement specifically targeting the court?”

“In a murder case suspects were claiming that they will be acquitted, but I said that no matter what suspects say the decision lies with the court,” the judge remarked.

He also told Haris and Khalid to file a petition in court and attach a clipping of the news report that contains Fawad’s statement. “If a notice needs to be issued to Chaudhry then the court will,” said the judge.

Speaking to a private news channel on Thursday, Fawad Chaudhry had said that everyone knows the facts of the Hill Metal Establishment case and that Nawaz Sharif will “definitely go to prison again”.

Later in the day, reacting to the Sharif counsels’ plea to the court, Fawad Chaudhry claimed that over 50 people will be imprisoned.

“Khawaja Haris is a senior lawyer and had he not taken millions in fee he would have also agreed that Nawaz should be sentenced,” Chaudhry wrote.

“It is unfortunate that such full-proof cases take years to wrap up. The opposition neither has leadership nor vision and only politics to save money is taking place,” he added.

“Over 50 will be imprisoned,” the information minister further said.

خواجہ حارث سینئر وکیل ہیںاگر کروڑوں روپے فیس نہ لی ہوتی تو وہ بھی مان جاتے کہ کیس میں نواز شریف کو سزا ہونی چاہئے،بدقسمتی ہے ایسے فول پروف مقدمات ختم ہونے میں سالوں لگ جاتے ہیں۔اپوزیشن کے پاس کوئ لیڈرشپ ہے نہ نظریہ صرف پیسے بچانے کیلئےسیاست ہو رہی ہے،پچاس سے زیادہ جیل جائیں گے

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) October 26, 2018