Avenfiled reference: NAB's plea against Maryam's new petition rejected

• IHC's verdict says NAB Ordinance’s Section 16-A involves completion of trial within a month.
• There is no such law to conclude petitions within 30 days, says verdict.
• NAB to give counter argument’s over Maryam’s petition at next hearing.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court Thursday rejected National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) plea seeking quick conclusion of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s petition seeking acquittal in the Avenfield reference.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, issued a written verdict over NAB’s plea seeking to conduct hearings on Maryam’s petition on a daily basis and conclude it within 30 days.

The written verdict, rejecting NAB’s plea stated that the NAB Ordinance’s Section 16-A involves the completion of trial within a month and there is no such law for concluding the petitions within the stated period.

“The plea was filed on the basis of a misunderstanding, hence, it is being rejected,” read the verdict.

It further stated that the counsel representing Maryam has completed the arguments favouring their petition.

The court issued a notice to NAB over Maryam’s petition.

At this, the NAB officials collected the notice and sought extension to assist the court on this matter.

NAB will give counter argument’s over Maryam’s petition at the next hearing on November 17.

On October 5, Maryam had filed a separate petition in the Islamabad High Court, seeking the annulment of the verdict related to the Avenfield Apartments reference.

Maryam has maintained in her petition, filed through Advocate Irfan Qadir, that the verdict was a "classic example of outright violations of law and political engineering hitherto unheard of in the history of Pakistan."