Lahore HC forms new bench to hear Maryam Sharif’s pleas

Lahore, Feb 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Lahore High Court on Saturday dissolved a two-member bench hearing pleas filed by PML-Ns Maryam Nawaz to seek court orders for the return of her passport and to order the government to take her name off the Exit Control List (ECL) to travel abroad and set up a new one.

The court formed the new bench comprising Justice Ali Baqir Najafi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh to initiate hearing of her pleas from February 10, The Nation reported.

Earlier, the two-member bench headed by Justice Tariq Abbasi had heard Maryam's petitions but no significant progress could be made.

Maryam, the daughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has filed separate pleas for withdrawal of her name from the ECL and return of her passport. The National Accountability Bureau has opposed these requests.

Justice Najafi had previously heard those pleas, but when the bench was dissolved, the requests were transferred to another bench. Justice Najafi will once again hear those pleas.

In November last, Maryam was granted bail by the High Court in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case against two surety bonds of Rs 10 million and submission of her passport.

On August 8, a NAB team had detained her outside the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore for skipping appearance in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

Maryam was unable to provide required details of foreign investment in the case and failed to satisfy the accountability watchdog about source(s) of her income for purchasing the shares.

The NAB had claimed that three foreigners had transferred 11,000 shares worth millions of rupees in Maryam's name.

Source: IANS