Cabinet to decide about filing appeal against LHC judgement on Nawaz: Attorney General

ISLAMABAD: Attorney General of Pakistan Anwar Mansoor Khan has said the matter involving former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's removal from the Exit Control List (ECL) as per Lahore High Court's orders will be produced before the federal cabinet after receiving the detailed judgement.

Addressing a news conference along with Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan in Islamabad, Khan said the federal cabinet would decide whether it should file an appeal against the LHC's judgement.

The attorney general clarified that the LHC decision which allowed the former prime minister to travel abroad for medical treatment, was purely based on humanitarian grounds and merits of the case were yet to be decided as no legal reason was given in the order.

He added, it was an interim order of the court, which did not reject the government's stance as the case would be resumed for final decision to look into merits of the case in January 2020.

Read also: Nawaz Sharif’s name to be removed from ECL for four weeks

“The cabinet never opposed Nawaz's travel to abroad, however a legal requirement was necessary to fulfil,” the AGP said.

He added the undertaking before the court of law had more value than indemnity bonds the government was asking for.

“If the signatories, Nawaz Sharif and opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif, did not fulfill their commitment to the courts then they could be tried under Contempt of Court Ordinance and Article 61, 62-B of the Constitution,” he said.

Separately Awan, while speaking to Geo News said, the government respected the decision of the court and would give a response once the court issued its detailed verdict on the matter.

LHC permitted to remove Nawaz's name from the no-fly list without any conditions for a time period of four weeks on Saturday.

Read also: Govt respects decision of the court: Awan

“The government's stance was that the fine imposed on Nawaz had been done so by the court and not the government itself,” Awan said. “The government had kept the condition of the indemnity bond owing to the fine.”

She said that the government's narrative was not based on ill intentions.

“The decision of the LHC could not be taken as a victory for one side or defeat of another,” she said. “This is not a victory or defeat for anyone — it is a question of rule of law and constitution.”