On Tuesday, an Islamabad accountability court, presided over by Judge Muhammad Bashir, confirmed the bail for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif in the Toshakhana case.
Following this development, Nawaz Sharif also appeared before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to seek protective bail in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield references in which he had been convicted. His appeal for the restoration of appeals against his convictions is also expected to be heard on the same day.
The accountability court had previously suspended the perpetual arrest warrants issued in 2020 for Nawaz Sharif in the Toshakhana case on October 19.
In June 2020, an accountability court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the former prime minister. On September 10, 2020, he was declared a proclaimed offender in the case, and the court initiated the process to confiscate his properties while directing the National Accountability Bureau to pursue his arrest through Interpol.
Several PML-N leaders, including Shehbaz Sharif, Khawaja Asif, Ayaz Sadiq, Ahsan Iqbal, and Saad Rafique, were also present during the proceedings.
During the hearing, the court asked Nawaz to mark attendance, and the NAB prosecutor argued that since Nawaz had surrendered, his arrest warrants should be canceled to allow the trial to proceed. Subsequently, the court confirmed Nawaz’s bail in the case, requiring surety bonds of Rs1 million, and adjourned the hearing until November 20.