ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court acquitted on Thursday Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Maryam Nawaz and her husband retired Captain Muhammad Safdar in the Avenfield Apartment reference, overturning a 2018 conviction by an accountability court.

With the acquittal, Maryam is now eligible to contest elections. “The party will decide about my candidacy,” she told media while speaking to them outside the court.

Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani presided over today’s hearing.

Maryam and Safdar have been on bail since Sept 19, 2018 when the Islamabad court suspended their seven-year and one-year imprisonments handed down by an accountability court on July 6, 2018. The Supreme Court later upheld the suspension of their conviction while rejecting the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) appeal against the high court’s decision.

During today’s hearing, NAB Special Prosecutor Usman Ghani was not present, with Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi representing the anti-corruption watchdog. Amjad Parvez argued on behalf of the PML-N vice president. At the onset, Muzaffar started reading the record of the case, upon which Justice Farooq asked him to read only the relevant parts.

Following the arguments, the court observed that the NAB prosecutor had failed failed to satisfy the court with his arguments. It said that the relationship between Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz could not be proved in the assets beyond known sources of income case.

Abbasi pointed out that Hassan and Hussain Nawaz, Nawaz’s son and Maryam’s brothers, had filed separate applications in the Supreme Court. He added that Tariq Shafi had submitted an affidavit regarding the sale of Gulf Steel Mills. He pointed out that the top court had raised an objection on how the steel mills were established as Shafi failed to prove that he was a partner in the business.

“The investigation officer’s opinion cannot be taken as evidence,” interjected Justice Kayani. He said that the joint investigation team didn not state facts but provided the information that it had collected.

The JIT didn’t state any facts, but provided only the gathered information, he said while urging the prosectuors to prove the allegations against Maryam and Safdar.

“We cannot announce a verdict on the basis of public knowledge of some hearsay,” the justice remarked before reserving the verdict on Maryam’s plea.

Media talk

As she stepped out of the court following the decision, PML-N supporters started chanting “I love you” and also received a congratulatory phone call from her uncle, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during the media talk.

“No leader has faced such a stern test of accountability in Pakistan,” she said, saying that Nawaz Sharif and family had to face it for six years. “This wasn’t a case about the law. It was about convicting one individual.”

She said that well-wishers advised her father, Nawaz Sharif, against appearing before the court but he was adamant. “Nawaz Sharif said that my daughter and family will appear before the court.”

Maryam then turned her guns towards Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief, saying Imran Khan campaigned against Nawaz for 30 years. “I want to see that man’s face today.”

She then pointed out Ishaq Dar’s return, who skipped an accountability court hearing in an assets beyond means case on the pretext of illness and went to the UK five years ago.

“Dar returned by the same prime minister’s plane in which he left Pakistan,” she said, adding that Dar was sworn in as finance minister by Imran Khan’s own president. President Alvi had administered the oath to Dar.

She then repeated the many accusations the PML-N –led government has hurled against Imran, who was ousted as premier in April this year, including destablising the economy, reneging on the IMF deal, and being foreign-funded. She also accused him of violating the oath of the premier, criticising state institutions and using the result transmission system (RTS) for personal gains during elections.

Audio Leaks

She also addressed the issue of the audio leaks, including one pertaining to Imran Khan in which he is having a conversation with a man believed to be his personal secretary. “He said not to name the US but just to play on it. He said to make it part of the minutes of the meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) and that he will manage the rest.”

Is national security a joke, she continued. “He thinks national security is like the Gaddhafi stadium,” he said in an obvious reference to Imran’s cricketing days.

She then accused Imran of being behind the release of audios pertaining to her work, including one in which PM Shehbaz is conversation with an aide regarding import of machinery from India for Maryam’s son in law.

She said her son-in-law is a successful businessman who imported half the machinery during Imran Khan’s tenure. “He wanted to bring the rest of the machinery but after we were informed that the laws had changed and there was a ban on imports from India, we didn’t press the issue.”