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Pakistan anti-graft court defers Sharif’s indictment (Lead)
Islamabad, Oct 13 (IANS) An anti-corruption court on Friday adjourned the indictment of ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar in the Panama Papers case till October 19 after it witnessed a raucous protest by PML-N lawyers and supporters.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had registered three corruption references against Sharif, his family members and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Islamabad Accountability Court after the apex court on July 28 disqualified the former Premier from holding office.
The corruption references against the Sharifs pertain to their London apartments, Azizia Steel Mills and 16 offshore companies.
Just as accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir entered the courtroom to commence the hearing, a number of lawyers associated with the PML-N forced their way inside and surrounded the judge’s bench, claiming that they were manhandled by security forces outside the court and were prevented from entering the courtroom, Dawn news reported.
The lawyers threatened to hold up the hearing until action was taken against the police officials. Due to the ruckus, Judge Bashir left the court room and later announced the postponement of the hearing till October 19.
NAB officials said they were manhandled by the lawyers inside the court and the head of their prosecution team, Sardar Muzaffar, was pushed from the dais.
Once Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) supporters and lawyers found out that the hearing had been adjourned, the crowd dispersed.
The former Prime Minister did not attend the hearing as he is in London with his ailing wife, Begum Kulsoom. He had sent his representative to the court.
Reacting to the situation, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan sent out a torrent of tweets accusing PML-N of attacking the country’s judiciary.
“Today the PML-N attacked Pakistan’s judiciary for the second time – today it was to protect the over Rs 30b Sharifs’ loot stashed abroad,” he tweeted.
“Clearly PMLN is hell-bent on destroying all state institutions. People of Pakistan must be prepared to stand up and defend our state institutions,” Khan added.
Ending his tirade, Khan said that the destruction of state institutions means the disintegration of the state. He concluded, “This is the Sharif agenda which nation must counter.”
Talking about the ruckus in the court, Maryam Nawaz asked the Interior Ministry to come up with a strategy to prevent such events from occurring in the future. She said the lawyers should have been permitted to attend the hearing.
The Interior Ministry asked Islamabad police to compile a detailed report on the incident.
Two lawyers, two female police officers and one woman constable were injured in the scuffle outside the accountability court.
PML-N’s Talal Chaudhary dismissed reports that the party lawyers tried to force their way into the court, saying: “PML-N workers did nothing, the incident happened due to overcrowding, that is it.”
Judge Bashir also approved the NAB plea to declare Sharif’s sons, Hassan and Hussain, proclaimed offenders. Their non-bailable arrest warrants, issued at the last hearing on October 2, remain in effect.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.