Pakistan unable to reach Nawaz Sharif; forced to pay newspapers to tell ex-PM to return

The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday summoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif "through newspaper advertisements" as arrest warrants by his representatives were not received in London, according to the country's media.   According to Geo TV, the court was irked by the attitude of Sharif's representatives at his residence in London and ordered the advertisements to be posted in Dawn and Jang newspapers.

'Nawaz Sharif must be declared an absconder'

It further directed the federal government to bear the cost of advertisements and the additional attorney general Tariq Khokhar was asked to pay the fees within four days. The National Accountability Bureau prosecutor in an "informal conversation" with the media said that the advertisement's proposed text will state that Sharif has 30 days to return to the country.

According to Geo TV, he said that the court summons would be pasted outside the court premises and the former Prime Minister's residence as well. The Court has been presented with records regarding both arrest warrants for which "an attempt has been made to serve but proved unsuccessful". The court also said that the Pakistan Foreign Ministry must send the warrants in a diplomatic bag to the Pakistani High Commission "in a diplomatic bag".

Justice Amir Farooq asked about the further course of action would be to bring the former Prime Minister back to Pakistan. AB Additional Prosecutor General Jahanzaib Bharwana said that the next stage would be to formally declare him a fugitive. "It is clear that Nawaz deliberately did not receive the arrest warrants," he said. "Nawaz Sharif must be declared an absconder," urged NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbas quoted by Geo TV.

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The order followed after an official posted at the Pakistani High Commission in London informed the IHC that a representative of Sharif had initially agreed to receive the arrest warrants but later changed his mind.

The court last month issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Sharif during a hearing of his petition requesting exemption from appearing before the court. The three-time premier, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar were convicted in the Avenfield properties case on July 6, 2018. Sharif was also sentenced to seven years in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case in December 2018. But Sharif was bailed out in both cases and also allowed to go to London for medical treatment in November last year.

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(With agency inputs)