ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday (today) will resume hearing of bail and miscellaneous pleas filed by former premier Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference case.Yesterday, the court served notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking a response on the earlier petition filed by Sharif seeking seeking suspension of his sentence in the Al-Azizia reference.After Sharif’s conviction, his legal team had filed a writ petition for suspension of the sentence. This was followed by an appeal challenging the verdict and another seeking suspension of the sentence on medical grounds.However, during yesterday’s hearing Sharif’s counsel Khawaja Haris pleaded with the court for withdrawal of the earlier petition and told the court that they would seek Sharif’s suspension of sentence on medical grounds instead.The high court bench comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani are scheduled to hear both suspension of sentence pleas while assessing medical reports of the former premier and examining the comments of the NAB on the withdrawal of the earlier petition.The petition has sought bail and suspension of Sharif’s sentence with a reasoning that he has been suffering from heart and kidney problems along with hypertension.The accountability court on December 24 convicted the former premier in the Al-Azizia reference and sentenced him to seven years in prison, and acquitted him in the Flagship reference case filed by the NAB in mega corruption scandal.Since then, he has been serving his term at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail.
