Lahore: Vice-President PML-N Maryam Nawaz on Monday confirmed receiving her passport after being “confiscated” for more than three years.
The development came after the decision of the Lahore High Court (LHC), in which the LHC had directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to return the passport to Maryam Nawaz.
Taking to Twitter, Maryam Nawaz claimed that she had received her passport after three years in a case that “was never filed” against her.
میرا پاسپورٹ مجھے واپس کر دیا گیا ہے الحمدُللّہ،مگر کیا آپ جانتے ہیں کہ پاسپورٹ اس کیس میں ۳ سال ضبط رہا جو کیس میرے خلاف کبھی بنا ہی نہیں؟ میرے جلسوں کے خوف سے فتنہ نے مجھے”تفتیش” کے لیے ۳ ماہ نیب میں حبسِ بےجاہ اور کوٹ لکھپت جیل میں ڈیتھ سیل میں رکھا مگر کیس آج تک فائل نہیں ہوا
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) October 3, 2022
She also took a dig at former Prime Minister Imran Khan by calling him “fitna”. She said that out of fear, Imran Khan kept her in NAB’s custody for three months and in a death cell in Kot Lakhpat Jail for “investigation”, but the case has not been filed to date.
LHC directs NAB to return Maryam Nawaz’s passport
The Lahore High Court (LHC), on Monday, directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to return Maryam Nawaz’s passport.
Maryam Nawaz had approached the LHC seeking the return of her passport, which she had surrendered to the court in 2019 in the Chaudhry Sugar Mill case.
Headed by Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti and comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh, a three-member bench of the LHC heard the case today.
During the hearing today, the LHC was apprised that neither the federal government nor NAB had any objection regarding the return of Maryam’s passport.
Amjad Pervez, Maryam Nawaz’s counsel, argued that it had been four years that no reference had been filed regarding the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, adding that the situation would have been different had NAB filed a reference against her.
While talking about the “prolonged delay” in the case, Amjad said that it was tantamount to the misuse of the law. He added that a conviction in the Avenfield case could have caused hindrance in the return of her passport, but that case has been closed.
Meanwhile, the NAB prosecutor said that the anti-graft body does not know whether the case falls under their jurisdiction after the amendments to NAO Ordinance.
“There is no investigation pending against Maryam Nawaz and her passport is not required either,” he said.
The prosecutor said that he was not in a position to give a statement regarding this matter. The CJ asked if he had received any instructions, to which the NAB prosecutor replied that the body has no objection to it.
